GAY PRIDE

Maspalomas Gay Pride is the ludic festivity held over 7 days, the second week of May, in Yumbo Shopping Centre in Playa del Inglés. It gathers an average of 50,000 people, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals coming from all over the world.

The activities and events arranged by the GLAY, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Yumbo, an association with no profit motive. This entity, with the support of many gay establisments located in Yumbo Shopping Centre, has been working from 2001 and celebrated the first Gay Pride in Maspalomas in 2002. Due to the thoroughness and hard work of this association, participants have risen year after year. GLAY has also the logistic and economic support and participation of either public and private entities.

These are some of their most important aims:

The organization of cultural activities, art exhibitions, seminars designed to increase public awareness and educational events, as well as street entertainment, theatre plays and performances to promote basic, human, constitutional and civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals in the world. This event does not coincide with any other celebration, in order to increase participation. Funds are also collected for the local and international support of efforts and collaboration of people suffering from HIV, aids and similar diseases, as well as for prevention and educational activities.

Another of the aims is showing and promoting Maspalomas and Gran Canaria as the best tourist area for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals, due to the respect of the communities living here. Advertising, marketing and informative coverage by local, national and international media, especially television and the Internet.

The gay pride day was first celebrated by the gay community in June, 1969 in Stonewall, New York. This was the first social uprising to promote gay rights. From them on, there are more and more countries where this event is held every year in very different ways, with street parades in villages and towns all over the world to fight for equality.

This kind of demostration is pacific and fun and understanding add value to their demands, which are compared with the heterosexual population regarding their human, constitutional and civil rights.

These demands are summed up in the slogan: “freedom for everyone and uniting the world against discrimination of sexual orientation”.

For further information:
www.gaypridemaspalomas.com