We honor the roots of Pride and focus on being as inclusive as possible, therefore Pride in Maastricht is still a Protest.
The organization of Pride Maastricht is formed by various activists, feminists and queer people from in and around Maastricht. Some of these people are representatives from other organizations and associations active in our city.
🏳️🌈 Our Values 🏳️⚧️
- Pride is a Protest
Pride started as a protest in Stonewall (USA) in 1969. This uprising was the start of a worldwide gay liberation movement. As long as LGBTQIA+ people are still being oppressed and marginalized, we should keep Pride a Protest.
- Inclusivity
We aim to organize a Pride with the most marginalized voices in our LGBTQIA+ community in mind. We attempt to create a safer space for the marginalized groups within our LGBTQIA+ community. Since most of our events take place in public spaces, we cannot prevent racist, right-wing or homophobic people from joining, but we will report them so they can be removed.
- Community & Solidarity
The organization of Pride Maastricht is already embedded into the activist community in Maastricht. We aim to create a safe space during Pride where people can bond, find new friendships and have a feeling of belonging.
Since Pride Maastricht started with activists from the Black Lives Matter movement, solidarity is at the core of our organization. Solidarity is a recognition of the fact that when marginalized communities channel our collective power, we are stronger than ever. So during Pride, let’s remember that none of us are free until all of us are free. Let’s raise our voices until we have built a brighter, safer future for those of us who are most marginalized and exploited.
- No Room for Rainbow Capitalism
For us, honoring the origin of Pride also includes the rejection of the capitalization of Pride by companies. Pride should be about activism, not about consumerism. Ultimately, Rainbow Capitalism makes Pride less about protests, rights, and freedom and instead becomes a way to turn a profit. Pride Maastricht is therefore a community-funded Pride.
