The 16th annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade

Dressed up for the Mardi Gras

RELATED LINKS: Pride Week plans big party IT'S September and time to celebrate our diversity at the annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Heritage Week festivities. Read more Gay Games guys love Jozi THE Gay Games international committee is impressed with what the city has to offer. Read more Marching through Rosebank with pride THE Johannesburg Gay Pride Parade is back - brighter, bigger and bolder than before. Read more Joburg's Gay Pride Festival EACH year the Gay Pride Festival, highlighting the rights of gays and lesbians, gets bigger and better. Read more Gays march this month TERRY Tselane, the chief executive of the Gauteng Tourism Authority, launched Pride 2002, the 13th annual lesbian and gay parade, by saying, "Gays and lesbians should feel more at home here in Gauteng than in any other province." Read more The Joburg Gay Games Bid IF YOU wish to support the Gay Games bid, you can make a deposit into the Johannesburg Gay Games Bid Committee account: Standard Bank, Rivonia branch code 001255, account number 023038489. For more information, visit the Gay Games website.

A colourful occasion

Party mood at pride march A HANDFUL of protesters could not dampen the spirits of Jozi's gay and lesbian community - and their supporters - at the annual Pride Parade. September 27, 2005 By Rose Setshoge JOBURGERS thronged the pavements, some laughing, some critical, some speechless, but many proud to see the City's gay and lesbian community standing up for themselves. The 16th annual Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade began at Constitution Hill at 4pm on Heritage Day, the culmination of a week of activities including dance, poetry and theatre. The theme this year was "Pride – Sweet Sixteen: the Right to Be, the Freedom to Express". Buses, trucks and cars, decorated in bright colours, slowly drove the route from Constitution Hill along Smith, Bertha and Harrison streets, keeping pace with the walking, dancing crowd. Metro police were on hand to manage traffic and the parade's flow. A bottle was thrown from a flat, injuring a woman sitting on a float. Winding up at Heartlands, in Braamfontein, Juta and Henri streets and Station Road were closed to traffic for a fabulous street party. Yfm's Unathi performed; there were food stalls, a beer garden, bars and even a flea market. After the street party, for those who still had the energy, the celebrations carried on at Simply Blue and Rhino Bar, also in Braamfontein, until the early hours of the morning. A few members of churchs had gathered at Constitution Hill, singing, praying, preaching and quoting biblical verses. Their message was, "Jesus did not create gay and lesbian society." Pretty in pink: floats drive slowly through the streets of Joburg However, this did not stop the parade - or the proud party. Some of their T-shirts said it all, with messages ranging from, "I did not choose to be gay" to "I am gay and Jesus loves me" and "100% gay". "I denied that I was attracted to girls and I was depressed," said Danny Smith, one of the lesbian paraders. "However, after following my heart I feel good and proud. I would like to encourage those who are still in the closet to come out quickly as it is not comfortable in there." During the march, pamphlets about Joburg's bid for the 2010 Gay Games were handed out, while some members of the public who showed their support were given T-shirts and caps. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za