Govt shows support for Pride month

The Gibraltar Government will be supporting this year’s Pride events and will be celebrating the month by hoisting rainbow flags.

To commemorate Pride Month this year, the Government will hoist rainbow flags as from today until June 28 at the land frontier, No.6 Convent Place, St Bernard’s Hospital, outside the offices of the Care Agency, and at the Royal Gibraltar Police Headquarters at New Mole House.

“The Minister for Equality and her Ministry will also be displaying a flag at her office for the duration of the month,” the Government said in a statement.

Representatives from the Government will be joining and supporting the Pride March which this year will be held on June 24 at Casemates.

The Government said the departments, including the Ministry of Equality, will hold stalls at the event organised by the LGBTQ+ Committee.

The Moorish Castle will also be lit with the LGBTQ+ rainbow colours on June 1, 24, and on June 28 to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

“I am very happy with the resounding success of last year’s Pride March and have to thank the LGBTQ+ Committee for their hard work and everyone else that was involved in its organisation,” the Minister for Equality, Samantha Sacramento, said.

“I truly have to say that I am really looking forward to this year’s march.”

“We must not forget those in Gibraltar who started this movement and the meaning of celebrating Pride and that the efforts the LGBTQ community and its allies contribute also aim to increase awareness over ongoing issues of inequality.”

“Unfortunately, we still need to remind some people what the LGBTQ+ movement is about.”

Harassment of LGBTQ+ people continues to feature in the news and this is something that needs to stop, Ms Sacramento said.

“People who see someone who is different and do not understand it, may see them as a threat, when this is not the case,” she added.

“It is therefore vital to remind people that LGBTQ+ people exist and that they are here to stay.”

“Government continues to work on different aspects in relation to LGBTQ+, but some recent noteworthy achievements include changes in legislation that were enacted in 2013 which outlawed homophobic hate crime and speech and in 2015 extending this protection for people who undergo gender reassignment.”

“In 2014 it enacted the Civil Partnership Act and in 2016 the Civil Marriage Amendment Act, this not only recognised legal relationships for same sex couples, but also paved the way for adoption by same sex couples.”

“In February 2021, Gibraltar implemented a surrogacy law, this allows individuals and couples, either married or in a civil partnership and unable to conceive, to engage in non-commercial, altruistic surrogacy.”

“The legislation also provides automatic recognition to children of same-sex couples conceived through artificial insemination.”

“The Ministry of Equality continuously provides training to the Public Sector and Private Sector in this regard.”

“However, it must be emphasised that everybody, irrespective of their sexual preference or gender identity must support the rights of people of the LGBTQ+ community, so that all the barriers they face are removed.”

“Join us at the Pride march on June 24 and celebrate with us Gibraltar’s Pride and Inclusivity.”

Further information on what Pride means to the LGBTQ+ community in Gibraltar can be viewed on a video which was published by the Ministry of Equality in 2019.

The Ministry encourages the public to view and share the video, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The video can be viewed on the Government’s Facebook page or on the Ministry of Equality website: www.gibraltar.gov.gi/department-equality .

For more information in relation to the event, contact the LGBTQ+ Committee via e-mail: gibraltarlgbtcommittee@gmail.com.