Athens, June 13, 2023

PRESS RELEASE:

Subject: «The positions of the GTSA on the organization of this year’s Athens Pride 2023»

The Greek Transgender Support Association (GTSA), is a voluntary non-governmental organization that promotes the rights and freedoms of trans, gender-diverse and LGBTQI+ persons in general, as well as sex workers, with this press release, makes known its positions after a meeting of the Board of Directors on 11.06.2023, for this year’s organization of Athens Pride 2023, which took place last Saturday, June 10, in Kotzia Square, instead of Syntagma Square.

First, it is important to recall that the GTSA has a long history with clear positions towards the organization of Athens Pride, starting in 2012 with the complaint of KEELPNO’s participation in the Pride Festival and the necessity of orientation and political targeting of Athens Pride , following in 2015 with a public announcement by the General Assembly for non-participation in Athens Pride due to abusive transphobic positions in 2014 by members of the organizing committee of Athens Pride, with non-inclusion of trans persons in the organizing committee and lack of transparency of the procedures while also the 2015 it had publicly responded to the text it received from Athens Pride, remaining steadfast in the association’s non-participation.

The GTSA after years and with constant communications with representatives of Athens Pride participated in September 2020 with an interview of the organization and with participation in an event in the context of the actions of Athens Pride 2020, while after internal discussions that took place in 2021, during the Presidency of the memorable Marina Galanou, it was decided that the GTSA would participate in Athens Pride 2022, as it did, for which the GTSA had issued a Press Release and participated with a kiosk, greeting and taking part in the march.

This is the historical path that needs to be known as always the GTSA, realizing the importance of the participation of the trans community in the context of Pride, the political demands but also the symbolism it has, and on the condition that it participates in an Athens Pride that puts fronting LGBTQI+ organizations and their voices and ensuring protection and visibility at every stage from the layout of the LGBTI organizations’ kiosks to the march, was the core to take part in this event again.

But, with our regret, this year’s Athens Pride event did not meet the above requirements, starting with the transfer of the event to Kotzia Square, instead of the central claim square – Syntagma Square. Despite this, the GTSA had decided to participate as the requests of the trans and LGBTQI+ community were necessary to be heard and to inform the world about our rights, especially when the LGBTQI+ Pride Festival is being organized in the middle of the pre-election period.

On Saturday, June 10, as soon as the GTSA team arrived at Kotzia Square, they saw that both the GTSA kiosk, as well as that of many more LGBTQI+ organizations, had been placed in places that were not so visible, in contrast to the kiosks of sponsors and political parties, which was in central places in the Square.

This in itself was a sign of disrespect both to the GTSA and to the community in general, while the answer we received regarding the rationale for placing the kiosks in this way was that there was not enough time to place them differently.

But apart from that, the following complaints were made by our members, LGBTQI organizations and people who came to Athens Pride.

Specifically:

  • The GTSA received messages from many perons who searched for more than two hours for the Association’s kiosk, while many of them were unable to find it, as it was cut off from the central kiosks of the entire event, while other persons thought that we participated with a greeting without a kiosk in this year’s event.
  • The LGBTQI organizations had kiosks in places that were separated from each other and were not visible to the persons, discrediting their participation, the dynamic in the political claim and the general historical symbolism that the presence of the LGBTQI+ organizations at Pride has.
  • In addition, persons who were both at the kiosk of the Municipality of Athens, as well as at the kiosks of the sponsors of the event, were not trained in LGBTQI terminology, resulting in incidents of misgendering among our members.
  • There was no feeling of safety and security of the square and the people participating or attending Pride. The security was neutral to the point of non-existence as groups of fascists had gathered around Kotzia square and many members of the GTSA and non, were careful where they would go or leave in order not to become a target, while some were careful not to publicly express even that they are LGBTQI+.
  • Due to the incidents that took place in the center of Athens, the march was delayed to start by almost an hour, with the members of the GTSA and the other LGBTQI organizations not having explicit information about the organization of the organizations on the march, nor information about their safety or the reason for delay. On the contrary, they waited for an hour in the same place, with people gathering suffocating, with the organizers giving weight to the promotion of the sponsors of the event, who were even on a float that pushed the LGBTQI+ organizations aside so that the sponsor could be seen. What we have always supported with the GTSA, was that in the Pride March, LGBTQI+ organizations should always participate right behind the LGBTQI+ Pride flag, giving the political message of demands, something that not only never happened, but and was never heard from the organizers.
  • There was very poor organization during the march, there were huge gaps between the participating organizations and the guarding was almost non-existent. This created an issue of insecurity for those who participated as anyone could enter the course and incidents could arise.
  • The Athens Pride March, for the first time in history, did not pass through the main street of Vasilis Amalia Avenue, in front of the Greek Parliament, but through the small side street located just above Syntagma Square. This is unthinkable and diminishes the political symbolism that the Pride March has.
  • After passing the Greek Parliament the march turned away fromSinastreet, with the people making their way down side streets and alleys while the floats stayed behind. The GTSA and other LGBTQI+ organizations were advancing behind the “ANTARSYA” block, with closed banners and against the flow of the passing cars, which entered between the March by honking their horns, as there was no traffic policeman to stop the passage of vehicles, while there was a huge distance between the organizations and the people who were in the March, who were several meters behind because they were following the floatt that had stopped in the Akadimia street. Passing through the alleys and very narrow, dark streets, with absolutely no police guard or Pride volunteers, with families and children along the way and the fear of an incident being a common feeling for all individuals. The March after the turn of Sina Street was – Edouardou Lo – Christou Lada – Pl. Agiou Georgiou Karytsi – Parnassou – Palaion Patron Germanou – Square AgionTheodoron – Euripidou and ending at Athinas street. This was not just a Pride March. It was a March where there was no protection and no security, and of course without any visibility.
  • According to reports on Sophokleous and Aiolou streets, fascists attacked some persons who participated in the March, among them a trans person .

The Greek Transgender Support Association (GTSA), for all the above reasons and remaining steadfast in the need for political targeting of Pride, strongly protests the discrediting of the GTSA and LGBTQI organizations by the Organizing Committee of Athens Pride, both with the layout of the kiosks and the LGBTQI organizations in the process as well as with the overall organization of the Festival, in which there was no security and protection of the people who attended and considers yesterday’s announcement by Athens Pride unacceptable, which is incomplete and false as no there was no safety for the people who participated in the march and it confirms in the clearest way that the primary reason and role in the Festival was not the LGBTQI+ organizations, but the sponsors of the event.

The GTSA calls on Athens Pride to respond to all that has been reported and to give clear explanations for the entire organization and to assign the responsibilities that belong to those in charge of the Organizing Committee as well as to inform about the measures and the procedure that followed regarding the fascist and transphobic assault.

The GTSA informs that based on the decision of the Board of Directors meeting, it will bring as a topic at the next meeting of the General Assembly of the Association, the participation of the GTSA in the next Athens Pride.

THE BOARD OF MEMBERS

GREEK TRANSGENDER SUPPORT ASSOCIATION

15 ViktorosUgo, 10437, Athens
Trans Day Reception & Empowerment Center: Evangelistrias 6, Kallithea Athens, 17671
Tel. 210.9210 697 & 698 753 9741
Office hours for the public: Tuesday & Thursday – 12.00-20.00

http://tgender.gr – http://www.transgender-association.gr/

syd.secretary@gmail.com – transgender.support.association@gmail.com