Tirana will host its eleventh Pride parade on May 21st according to an announcement by local activists and NGOs on social media.
This year’s Pride marks a return to in-person events, after COVID restrictions on large gatherings forced activists to hold a digital Pride for two years in a row.
Members of the LGBT+ community and allies will gather at Mother Theresa Square in Tirana on Saturday, May 21st, at 11 am to begin the parade.
Tirana Pride will be the culmination of a week of events, led by civil society, that focuses on the rights and lives of the LGBT+ community.
Titled “We are family”, the 2022 Pride will focus on the idea of family and LGBT+ solidarity.
‘”We are family” – because LGBTIQ+ families are undisputedly families. Our families exist! They are part of our society. They are nurtured by love and devotion to each other, despite challenges, discrimination and sacrifices,” reads the announcement by Aleanca LGBT, a local NGO.
The call to celebrate LGBT+ families comes after a lesbian couple’s request to be recognized as parents to their twin baby girls sparked outrage on social media and launched a harassment campaign against the two women.
In response, LGBT+ rights activists published an open letter arguing that the twin girls deserve the protection of the law, and the mothers deserve to be treated equally under the law.
