- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - Hier 03:21

Lively turnout for TT Pride parade 2025

TT PRIDE parade 2025 had the gay abandon of a mini-Carnival but also had a serious underlying message in the demand for equality of treatment for all under the laws of Trinidad and Tobago. Almost 200 people turned up on July 20 for the good-natured walk through Woodbrook, the parade amply facilitated by a notable police escort. People strolled along Tragarete Road alongside two music trucks with a lively deejay, waving their rainbow flags and wearing whatever they felt comfortable in, including a few Carnival-like outfits, with one man on stilts and one person even dressed as a dinosaur. British High Commissioner Jon Dean told Newsday he was keen to attend so as to support the struggle for human rights. "It is fantastic to be here at today's pride event. We are here because we are huge supporters of human rights, and in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This holds that all people are born equal in rights and dignity, no matter who they are, who they love or what their behaviour is. "So that is why we are here. We are having a great time and we are looking forward to the rest of the parade." TT Pride co-founder Kennedy Everett Maraj told Newsday, "We are very happy with the turnout. It shows people are considerate when it comes to LGBT human rights in this country. It is not something people are willing to stay silent on any more." He said it was time for leaders in TT to start to pay attention to LGBT people. "We are citizens of this country and we want to be respected and we want to be treated equally and fairly." Newsday asked if Pride TT has yet had any positive feedback from the new government. Maraj replied, "Well we are always open to positive engagement and collaboration with the government. "We are not holding anybody at ransom and saying you have to do what we tell you to do. We want to be able to have that collaborative relationship with the government, where it is we feel like you are finally hearing what we are saying." Maraj said a lot of people think discrimination does not exist in TT. "Yet we have an Equal Opportunity Act that excludes LGBT people based on the status of sexual orientation and gender identity. [caption id="attachment_1167654" align="alignnone" width="1024"] SERVING FACE: This participant strikes a fierce pose at the TT Pride parade in Port of Spain on July 20.[/caption] "How can we say we are a country that is not going to discriminate against people, yet LGBT people still remain on the fringes of society. These are things we want to talk about." He said the savings clause provision – whereby human rights given in the 1962 (and then 1976) TT Constitution do not automatically negate discriminatory colonial-era laws – has been used under successive governments to deny "rights, privileges and protections" to LGBT people. Maraj said, "At the end of the day we are all citizens, so why are you pretending we don't exist and we don't make positive contributions to our culture and our society?" Pointing to parade's outfits and decorations, he said, "This, what you are seeing right here, is a major indication as to how far we have come and what we have to offer." A woman identifying herself only as "JJ" told Newsday what the Pride Parade meant to her. "I am here every year. It started in 2018 and I am at it again in 2025. I love everything about it. "We can be ourselves. I love that about it, because our families can be so judgemental and biased." She said participants face no bias in the parade. "Everybody comes together as one, and that is why they call us 'family'. Here is one big happy family, no judgment, no bias." Actress Cecilia Salazar praised the event. "I think it is wonderful, it is beautiful, it is full of love. Love is love. And I have always supported the LGBT community. "I have always supported the movement for freedom, because I think human rights are for everyone. I have a lot of friends who are gay, trans, bi and I am out here to support them. "So that is why I am here. I really believe that we need this and we need to change some of our norms and laws, so everyone is equal." Dr Ryan Abraham told Newsday, "I feel very proud and privileged to be here. "It is very important, now more than ever, that persons come out and contribute and be very visible to show the presence of not only the community but who they themselves represent. The event is called pride, not shame." He said the LGBT community was not seeking extra rights. "We are very much under-represented and also a highly-vulnerable population. The average person won't support someone who is gay or lesbian, especially in the workplace." He said LGBT people are currently denied certain rights to access insurance, bank rights and health rights, in terms of who is their next of kin. He said, "A lot of legal barriers exist to prevent that person's access." Pride TT director Tracy Sheppard told Newsday her group has had a good month of Pride with a lot of events including a hike. "We have been building momentum all along. There are a lot of people here. We have a lot of first-timers, which means we are visible and we are doing something." She said several diplomats joined the parade, whom Newsday was later told represented the European Union, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Australia and the UK. "People flew in from other Caribbean islands and from the US, because they did not feel safe in the US this year to celebrate Pride," Sheppard said. "So they came to Trinidad."   The post Lively turnout for TT Pride parade 2025 appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.