Today, August 22nd, 2021 saw around 2,000 people take to the streets as a part of the Cluj PRIDE event, in support of equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community.
The march was particularly special, as this year marks the 20-year anniversary of the repeal of Article 200, which was introduced during the rule of Romanian dictator, Nicolae Ceaușescu, during the communist regime and was section of the Penal Code of Romania, which criminalised homosexual relationships.
This march started at 13:00 from BTArena, and continued past the City Hall on Calea Moţilor, before heading back around Strada Splaiul Independenţei, which borders the north-side of Parcul Central Simion Bărnuţiu.
The participants made a short stop outside of the City Hall to shout, “Vrem drepturi egale!” (We want equal rights).
Unfortunately, there are still incidents where some people express their discomfort or condemn the activities entirely.
Some anti-LGBTQ+ graffiti was discovered on a wall outside one of the venues where Cluj Pride events were taking place.
2021’s organiser, Andrada Popa, who is the president of PRIDE Romania after taking over the leadsership of the association at the last year, at the beginning of the pandemic, shared PRIDE Romania’s press release, where they published photos of the vandalism, which read “NO PRIDE, JUST SHAME”, as well as destroyed posters.
They continued by adding “Discrimination of any type has no place in a democratic society and a city that claims to be proud of its diversity and multiculturalism. Although it has been 20 years since the repeal of Article 200, such actions demonstrate once again why the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community is crucial and why the Cluj Pride March is a necessity.”
This year’s march, was the 4th of its kind held in Cluj-Napoca, after taking a one-year gap due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
