Pride 2023: What Is It and What Is the Contramarcha Looking for in Colombia?

The LGBTIQ+ pride march, organized by the Bogotá district administration, has evolved in the 40 years since its birth. Its main idea was to fight for the rights of people belonging to the community, but little by little it has become a space that many brands use for their benefit. To vindicate the spirit of the march, the Contramarcha was born in 2020.

Pride day draws attention for its color and joy. In this space there are people with very diverse orientations and lives. Each individual attends Pride for personal reasons that become much more important when they become collective. Within this event, many communities have stopped feeling represented and valued, either because they are made invisible or because their political ideals do not align with what the march is now.

What Is the Countermarch, and How Was it Born?

The idea of the Contramarcha arose thanks to the Severas Flores collective and its supporters. Giovanny Abadía, one of the organizers of the Contramarch, in his interview for Shock magazine, highlights the importance of June 28, 1969 for the Queer movement. Stonewall is one of the most significant moments for the group, the riot that occurred on this day exposed to all a struggle that was brewing in the mid-twentieth century in the United States.

To commemorate these events and fight against the pinkwashing that companies use to show support for diversity only during pride month as a marketing strategy, the Contramarcha appears on July 4, 2020. In this first edition, many artistic tools were used to attract attention and make clear the reasons for the mobilization.

Also read: 5 LGBTQ+ Productions that will be Released Soon and that you Cannot Miss

What Is the Contramarch Looking for in 2023?

Since its birth, the Contramarcha seeks to generate an open criticism of Pride. Its conveners consider that the traditional pride march forgets the fight for the rights of groups most attacked by social inequality. This generates claims towards the institutions and their public policies.

Retaking the diverse and anti-authoritarian spirit of Stonewall is one of the pillars of the Countermarch. Self-management and work from the artistic and gender diversities keep this cause alive. For the Contramarch of 2023, a series of actions have been generated to raise awareness and have economic resources to carry it out. Some of these actions are:

• Raffles. To call the union of the community, the organizers of the Contramarcha looked for businesses that would donate some of their products to hold a raffle to raise funds.

• Fairs. Events with the support of artists of diversity, ventures, and other artistic samples. They seek to unite, publicize and generate resources.

• Repair Strategies. Diverse people are the object of many forms of violence. It is important to find strategies to heal, reconcile and prevent future conflicts.

• School workshop. Events are held to communicate the objectives of the Contramarcha and discuss current problems. All this traversed by artistic tools such as performance.

• Donations. These types of collective events are done in a self-managed way. For this reason, donations are accepted to cover organizational expenses and whatever may arise within the concentration.

An exact date has not yet been defined for this year’s Contramarcha to take place, but a series of events have been organized during the month of June, such as the fair that took place on June 11 at the Siempre Vivxs Transfeminist Gallery and the March Preparation School-Workshop that took place on the 21st and 22nd.