Thessaloniki pride 2026!
- Lev Narozhny
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Hello girls, boys, non binary and people not on the gender spectrum!
A week ago, pride took place in Thessaloniki, where Esai En Roi participated for the first time. It was a great opportunity for us to join this important social cause and make a name for ourselves. We began preparing about a month before the event. However, it turned out to be far more challenging than one might think. At that time, there were only four of us in the organization, and we tried to take everyone's opinions into account. Four people might not seem like much, but our views were very diverse. A wide range of arguments were raised:
1) "We're not an LGBT organization, so we shouldn't participate, even if we support LGBT rights!"
2) "If we do participate, we shouldn't sell merch; we should give it away for free, so as not to support capitalism!"
3) "If we participate, do not produce new clothes!"
4) "It's better not to have our own tent in the market, but to volunteer for an LGBT organization!"
As you can imagine, even the idea of Esai En Roi participating in pride was controversial. But it was through these discussions that we were able to find a solution that took into account almost all the ideas expressed. In the end, we decided to:
1) Use existing T-shirts and apply our design to them. This turned out to be a kind of upcycling, we didn't buy new items specifically for sale, but gave existing T-shirts a second life.
2) Prepare free stickers with messages from our organization.
3) Organize small gift games in which everyone could participate for free.
4) Set up a large board and invite everyone to leave a drawing or a short message on it. By the end of the day, many small drawings had formed one large collective painting.
5) sell the remaining calendars dedicated to homeless animals in Greece, which we released back in January.
Pride itself was a mixed bag for us. Two members of our team worked in the tent all day, from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and two more joined the march itself.
A Volunteer's Opinion
The author views Pride not simply as a celebratory event, but as an important way to make LGBTQ+ people more visible in society and thereby combat discrimination and violence. He believes that calls to hide one's identity or "stay out" are unfair and only perpetuate existing prejudices. He believes that the queer community not only defends its own rights but also actively supports other groups facing inequality and discrimination. He places particular emphasis on the role of transgender people, emphasizing that their openness and courage help combat misinformation and achieve social change. In conclusion, the author concludes that Pride symbolizes everyone's freedom to be themselves, to love openly, and to live without fear of judgment.
So why did we decide to participate?
Of course, the Pride market is a great opportunity to introduce our organization to a large number of people. But that wasn't the only reason.
Being at the event itself was important to us. Although we regularly work with members of the LGBT community, we're rarely perceived as an organization dedicated to this issue. We wanted to show that the rights of sexual and gender minorities are closely linked to the values we promote: respect, inclusivity, cultural exchange, education, and human rights.
The results of Pride were mixed, but overall very positive
Sales were rather modest. We were hoping to sell more T-shirts with our design, but in the end, we only sold a few T-shirts and a few calendars.
However, the event proved incredibly valuable in terms of new connections and collaboration.
For example, we spent a long time talking with the association of senior gays (and not only gays), headquartered in Athens. They shared stories of their members. Many spoke about how difficult it is for older people to find work, especially transgender people whose documents do not yet correspond with their gender identity. Unfortunately, some find themselves in situations where employment opportunities are virtually nonexistent, and prostitution becomes one of the few ways to earn a living. These stories once again reminded us of the importance of equal rights and the fight against discrimination. Association name is Rainbow Seniors and we would like to ask you to support them!
We also met representatives of a political party. We would like to point out that Esai En Roi does not support or represent any political party. Nevertheless, we are grateful for Pasok assistance: when we arrived at the market, they helped us set up our table. We also became friends with Vivienne, who works for this party. It turned out she hosts her own radio show, and we also shared many common interests, making our meeting especially enjoyable.
This was our first experience participating in Pride, and we're sure it won't be our last. We learned a lot, met wonderful people, and were once again convinced that open dialogue and collaboration can unite completely different people for a common goal.
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