Cyprus united by Pride - 28th June 2023

Cyprus has been a divided island since 1974. But the LGBTQ+ event 'United by Pride' had united LGBTQ+ communities from both sides of the island. LGBTQ+ community members marched from the north and south of the capital, Nicosia. They celebrated Pride together in the UN Green Line neutral zone.

For Ibrahim, people share a lot of their culture in both countries.

Ibrahim Ucak: "Even though, like, we live in the same island, due to the division we do have, we, we developed actually like some different cultures. But we also have like, same culture as well. So, it, it's actually like, it actually gives us a chance to, like, see those, like, similarities as well."

Cyprus has been two countries since the 1974 Turkish invasion, which created the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The island’s Greek population mostly live in the Republic of Cyprus in the south.

Because of this, the island’s LGBTQ+ communities have different experiences. In the south, homosexuality’s been legal since 1998. And people can register partnerships, but can’t marry. In the north, homosexuality only became legal in 2014.

United by Pride is a bridge between communities, says Duane Renzo.

Duane Renzo: "Marching for the voiceless, because like, I mean, Pride is a protest, definitely; to support the gay community from both sides and to blur the line between the, the divide, between the north and the south, you know. Unity, that's what we want to achieve."

The LGBTQ+ community, on both sides of the island, also organised their own celebrations during Pride month. But the United by Pride march shows that the whole island can join together, says Aphrodite.

Aphrodite: "Hopefully, of course, there is progress in LGBTQI+ rights in Cyprus, but also, hopefully, it shows to people that as minorities, from both sides of the island, we have united. So, if we can unite, under all this prejudice, under all this prosecution, why can't the wider island, you know? So, hopefully, the next time we do this, there won't be a border we have to cross."