RIGA - The schedule has been set. On July 19, the second annual gay and lesbian pride festival will commence in Riga, offering a 5-day program of entertainment as well as roundtables and events aimed at educating Latvia's population about gay and lesbian rights.
But the highlight - and most controversial part of the celebration - will surely be the pride parade. Although the Riga City Council has yet to approve the march, it is currently planned for Riga's Old Town.
Linda Freimane, an organizer of the event, told journalists that, despite the criticism it has drawn among politicians and conservative parties, the parade aims to attract the public's attention and promote the acceptance of homosexuals and bisexuals in Latvia.
"The public will never be ready for great changes but, once they come, people gradually get used to it. We have to hold the parade and work on helping the public get used to these changes," she said.
An information center offering information on gay, lesbian and transsexual events will be open in the Hotel De Rome in Riga as of July 19, Freimane said. One of Riga's cinemas, K-Suns, will be screening films mostly about gays and lesbians, including the Oscar-winning feature Brokeback Mountain (2005).
Three seminars are planned, two of which will be open to the public. The other seminar is exclusively for the family members of people with different sexual orientation.
A political debate "What Do Parties Promise?" is also on the schedule, with representatives of political parties invited to participate.
Gaston Lacombe, the board chairman of the gay and lesbian organization Mozaika (Mosaic), said that Riga Pride should not be perceived as a parade alone, but rather a whole collection of events. Similar pride events, he reminded, are being held in democratic countries across the world.
Lacombe said he was proud of foreign politicians and NGOs showing interest in the event. This proves that other countries care about what happens in Latvia, the chairman added.
