LGBT Activists in Moldova Hold March Without Police Intervention

According to law enforcement officials, the traditional Equality March, which took place this Sunday in the capital of the Republic of Moldova, Chisinau, was held without clashes and conflicts, as well as without the use of traditional demarcation measures such as borders or turnstiles.

This was reported by Reuters

This is the 22nd LGBTQ+ festival in Moldova, Moldova Pride, which took place from June 12 to 18. More than five hundred people took part in the peaceful demonstration, marching along the main streets of the capital.

For the first time in the history of Moldova Pride, such an event needed no heavy police cordons to protect protesters, largerly from representatives of the Orthodox Church. This indicates a certain change in sentiment within Moldovan society.

Also, according to the Moldovan LGBTQ+ rights organization Genderdoc-M, several MPs and representatives of diplomatic missions joined the pride.

After pro-European President Maia Sandu came to power in 2020, she announced her goal of accession to the European Union.

"Judging from the march, European Moldova is progressively moving towards a normal society of people with diverse views," said Alexei Marcicov, the event's organizer.

It is noteworthy that during the Equality March, activists did meet with representatives of the Orthodox Church, who were standing on one of the streets with posters "We are for the traditional family." However, there were no aggressive actions or provocations between the groups.

Traditionally, June is a month during which people from all over the world draw attention to the problems of the LGBT community and express their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, calling for tolerance and the elimination of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

U.S. President Joe Biden declared June 2021 as Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month and noted that "This Pride Month, we affirm our obligation to uphold the dignity of all people, and dedicate ourselves to protecting the most vulnerable among us."

This weekend, the Equality March also took place in Warsaw, where thousands of people came out to support the LGBT community.