HUGE CROWDS ATTENDED the Dublin Pride parade today in what is believed to be the biggest Pride parade in the capital to date.
The parade started at the Garden of Rembrance at 1.45pm, making its way by Trinity College and finishing at Merrion Square.
This year the Garda band led the parade through the streets of Dublin, in uniform.
Freedom
The theme of this year’s festival is freedom, something Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director of Amnesty International and Grand Marshall of the parade said isn’t something enjoyed by all gay people around the world.
“Around the world, LGBTI people face numerous human rights violations because of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity,” he said.
While he said that Ireland has come a long way, he says there is still some way to go as a society.
“Ireland is a transformed society. I first came out in 1984 at aged 18. Back then being gay meant I was a criminal.
It took a further 9 years before homosexuality was decriminalised after a long battle in European Court of Human Rights.
But, we still have a way to go if we are to guarantee equality and freedom to LGBTI people.We have yet to allow equal access to civil marriage, and to provide equal rights and equal family security to children raised by same-sex parents.
We have yet to respect the human rights of transgender people by granting them legal gender recognition. We are almost there, but not quite. And partial freedom is not freedom; ‘near equality’ is not equality.
Fine Gael members took part in this year’s parade with the Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald and the Minister for Health James Reilly holding the banner for Fine Gael LGBT.
Other politicians were also out in force:
And Panti, photographed below with the parade’s Grand Marshall, was also out enjoying the weather.
At the finishing point of the parade at Merrion Square the crowds gathered to hear some speakers:
The gardaí said the event went off without a hitch with no major incidents reported.
Here are some photos from the day:
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