For the 18th consecutive year, EQUAL GROUND brought Pride to Sri Lanka, in a vibrant, diverse, and joyful celebration, in the month of June. Colombo PRIDE 2022 focused on the theme ‘Resilient and Unsilenced’, depicting the determination of our community to fight for what we want and what we are. As always, it encouraged and inspired the LGBTIQ community to come out and be proud, while celebrating diverse identities and voices.
Aiming to be as inclusive as possible, this year’s PRIDE celebrations included a host of physical and virtual events, so that anyone from any corner of Sri Lanka was able to join.
Celebrations kicked off with the three-day, Ahbimani Queer Film Festival, inaugurated by the Deputy High Commissioner of the Australian High Commission, Ms. Amanda Jewell on 19th June 2022. A carefully-curated selection of international and local, short and feature length, queer films were shown at the Festival – including critically acclaimed films such as Boy Erased, Firebird, and Badhaai Do.
LGBTIQ persons in Sri Lanka were able to showcase their diverse talents at the Rainbow Music and Dance Festival on 23rd June 2022. With over 20 performances (songs, dances, instrumental) and an enthusiastic audience of over 130 people, it was a night to remember!
The celebrations wrapped up with the Rainbow Bus Ride and the Rainbow Kite Festival on Sunday 26th June 2022, where the LGBTIQ community and its allies were able to mingle and let loose, in the backdrop of a gorgeous sunset at Mount Lavinia Beach.
Meanwhile, the three virtual competitions – Short Film Competition, Original Song Competition, and the Cartoon and Comic Strip Competition held from May to end June 2022 – gave another opportunity for LGBTIQ persons to explore their creativity and win exciting cash prizes.
Over the years, PRIDE has grown from strength to strength, despite the numerous challenges. It is also an educational and sensitising exercise where the message of diversity is addressed in a holistic way paving for better understanding and acceptance of the Queer community by the larger Sri Lankan citizenship.
As in the past, EQUAL GROUND partnered with many organisations and corporations to bring Colombo PRIDE 2022 to every corner in Sri Lanka.
Despite the severe economic crisis and transportation issues, Colombo PRIDE managed to reach hundreds of LGBTIQ persons and allies. This year too, celebrating the diversity, the creativity, and the talents of the LGBTIQ community was at the forefront of PRIDE celebrations.
A glimpse of the festivities! Thanks to our Digital Media partners Pulse for the photos!
