By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Known for attracting thousands of attendees each year, the Parada do Orgulho LGBT Rio (Rio Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender/LGBT Pride Parade) will return on Sunday, November 15th to Avenida Atlântica in Rio de Janeiro’s Zona Sul (South Zone) neighborhood of Copacabana for its twentieth edition.
The parade will begin at 1PM with marchers gathering at Posto 6 (Posto 6) on Copacabana beach. In addition to the marchers, the parade will include five trios elétricos (large flatbed trucks with massive sound systems). At 2PM the first trio elétrico will become a stage hosting a show with Lorna Washington and Magaly.
Wings of marchers in the parade will include the group “Mães pela Diversidade” (Mothers for Diversity). They will lead the parade speaking against Estatuto da Família (Statute of Family), a purposed law that could threaten the rights of homosexual couples in Brazil. There will also be a wing of transsexuals and their supporters marching for transsexual and gender identity rights and the Marcha das Mulheres Negras (March of the Black Women) will form a wing to protest racism and unjust treatment of the LGBT community.
Additionally the ‘Ação, Orgulho e Cidadania’ (Action, Pride and Citizenship) section of the event will open at 9AM on Sunday. The section will include stands and workers providing information about ongoing issues faced by the LGBT community and services including hepatitis B vaccinations, HIV tests, and the distribution of more than forty thousand free condoms during the day.
For additional information, see the parade’s Facebook page.