Thousands join Berlin's LGBTQ+ Pride parade

DW (English)

Berlin's 46th annual Pride parade celebrates achievements and calls for improvements in gay rights. In many countries, LGBTQ+ people still face persecution. At the parade, DW’s Lukas Wiehler met a father and son from Kazakhstan.

Transcript

00:00Today, Alex is proud of his son, and Vanya is happy for his father's support.

00:06A lot of people, a lot of smiles, joy, positive energy.

00:13But it has not always been this way.

00:16We came to Germany, and I came out pretty quickly.

00:20My parents' first reaction was to take some tablets to calm down.

00:26Stay quiet, cry, avoid any conversations.

00:32What kind of feeling was that?

00:34Not being able to tell anyone.

00:37Thinking you're a bad person for being a criminal, a sick person,

00:42or like you don't exist at all.

00:45Being in love, but not being able to show your love.

00:53As bright and happy as this parade may seem to many Berliners,

00:57pride remains a struggle for acceptance for millions of LGBT plus people around the world,

01:02including in Alex and Vanya's home country of Kazakhstan and other former Soviet states.

01:08For most of them, they're facing a very difficult situation at home in their own countries,

01:15because there's real persecution in many countries.

01:19Even on legal basis, the laws are getting harsher and harsher.

01:24The punishments are becoming worse, there are fines,

01:27and there's also discrimination from society at large.

01:33Vanya has triumphed in his fight for liberation.

01:36After a long time, his father is now not only proud of him, but has become an activist himself.

01:42At Pride Berlin, the NGO Quartira has invited parents from countries like Georgia, Belarus and Russia

01:48to advocate for the rights of their LGBT plus children back home.

01:53I know they will go back to their home countries,

01:56and they will tell everyone else around them about this.

02:00And they will spread this message of love.

02:07Berlin Pride is a big, cheerful party.

02:10But it's also a reminder to people all over the world who are still fighting for recognition.

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