Cape Town Pride: Uniting Cultures of Cape Town

IT IS HERE!!! yep, its time for CAPE TOWN PRIDE 2012!

2 March - 12 March 2012

Time to dress up, be fabulous and be proud! After this weekend Capetown will be pink and fabulous, with the events to kickoff on the 2nd of March with Boy’s Night at Amsterdam this weekend is building up to be a blast for everyone involved. Lets face it, how often do you get to see hot guys in next to nothing, amazing floats, Costumes and outfits rarely seen in public and a spirit of unity that will infect everyone around. Its definitely party time in Capetown! 

Cape Pride 2012 is roaring to go and you're all invited! wooohooo imagine that!

Pack your outfit, grab your friends and go and support this, flood the streets and show south Africa and the world that you are proud of who you are, remind them that you are not a second class citizen and you will not be treated like one. Pride is about allot more than getting boozed up, dressed up and walking down a busy street. Lance Weyer wrote and article about the meaning of pride and i am sure he would not mind me sharing some of it.

Pride is used as an antonym for shame. This is important as shame has been used to control and oppress LGBT persons throughout history. Pride in this sense is an affirmation of one's self and the community as a whole. The pride movement began after the Stonewall riots in New York in 1969. A group of brave LGBTI people rioted following raids on a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Instead of backing down gay people fought back on mass for the first time in history. While it was a violent situation it also gave the underground LGBTI community the first sense of communal pride in a very well publicised incident. Today, New York Pride is still celebrated at the end of June each year to commemorate this historical event. From this annual parade Pride has grown into an international movement. The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered. New York might not be far away, but many LGBTI people will tell you about police raids in gay bars during the reign of the Apartheid government. The pride movement has been essential in furthering the cause of gay rights by lobbying politicians and increasing visibility to educate on issues important to LGBTI communities.

LGBTI-activist Taliesin Cormach wrote about the first Joburg Pride in 1989, that he attended with Zachie Achmat and others: “at the very first Pride march in Africa many years ago in Johannesburg, there was only about 300 people who attended and we all wore paper bags over our heads to help illustrate that that gay folk are one, despite the colour of our skin and that we are proud of that, which is why we were marching for equal rights. Considering the fact that we now have full equality, Pride marches helped achieve that visibility and the term Pride is therefore more important than ever to remind people that what was before, must never be allowed to happen again.” There is a very interesting photo display of the first Joburg Pride at the Apartheid museum for those that have the chance to go.

The LGBTI community is not made up of individuals, its a family and a force to be reckoned with, we should support events like pride and make our voices heard. Not every protest should be a violent one, your message can be delivered  by means of having fun, by being who you are and not caring what the world or anyone else say, pride 2012 is the best way you can accomplish that.

This year, by popular demand, the Parade will be reclaiming the streets of the Mother City’s CBD. Starting at the Gallows Hill Traffic Department in Green Point at noon, the Parade will follow its traditional route from Somerset Rd straight into Riebeeck, then down Adderley, Wale and Loop Streets before coming back up Somerset for a party in the Village.
As always, expect a fabulous float procession interspersed with a variety of colourful Queers, Flamboyant Drag Queens, Butch Leather Men, Dykes on Bikes, Twinks, Muscle Marys, Lipstick Lesbians, Toy Boys, Daddy Bears, Sugar Mamas and anybody else you can imagine.
So dust of those heels, out with the glitter paint, fluff up your feather boas and take to the streets with gay abandon!

For a full list of Pride events click HERE

Go out have fun and remember why you are doing pride, be proud!

For more info go have a blast and plan you're weekend please visit