Bologna, June 30, 2017 – Five parades are taking place during the sixth week of Onda Pride, the large-scale demonstration organized by Arcigay and the network of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex) associations that will be taking place in twenty-four Italian cities from May 27th to August 19th. Tomorrow, July 1st, the Pride will color the streets of Genoa: the meeting point is at 4:30 pm in Via San Benedetto, near Palazzo del Principe, with departure around 5:30 pm. The Pride will proceed towards Piazza Acquaverde, alongside the Principe station and then continue along Via Balbi, down to Piazza della Nunziata, Galleria Giuseppe Garibaldi, Piazza Corvetto, Via XII Ottobre and Via XX Settembre towards Piazza De Ferrari: the procession will conclude around the famous bronze fountain. A Pride parade will also take place in Bologna, where the parade will start at 3:00 PM from the Cavaticcio Garden, near the Cassero headquarters. From there, the parade will proceed along Via Don Minzoni, Piazza dei Martiri, Via dei Mille, Via dell'Indipendenza, Via Ugo Bassi, Piazza Malpighi, Via Nosadella, and Via Saragozza, ending at the Villa Cassarini Gardens, where a stage will be set up for closing remarks. Puglia Pride returns to Bari after 14 years, gathering at 4:00 PM in Piazza Prefettura. The parade will pass through Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via Quintino Sella, Via Dante, Via Imbriani, the Di Crollalanza seafront, and then back down Corso Vittorio Emanuele, returning to Piazza Prefettura, where a stage will be set up for closing remarks. The Cosenza Pride is also celebrating its "first time." The parade will begin at 4:30 PM in Piazza Loreto, where it will set off along Via Caloprese, Piazza Billotti, Via Alimena, Via Montesanto, Corso Umberto, Via Sertorio Quattromani, and Via Milelli, concluding at the stage in Piazza Amendola. Finally, the now traditional Palermo Pride returns, gathering at 4:30 PM in Piazza Marina. The route will wind along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via Roma, Piazza Sturzo, Piazza Castelnuovo, Via Ruggero Settimo, and Piazza Verdi. It will stop there before proceeding to the stage in Piazza Bologni. Arcigay President Flavio Romani will participate in the Bologna Pride, while National Secretary Gabriele Piazzoni will march in Bari for Puglia Pride. "Another day dedicated to pride, rights, and equality," says Gabriele Piazzoni. "Five more cities, from north to south, will be swept along by our wave, which signifies support, inclusion, rights, and solidarity. A wave that will lift us aloft and, for a day, sweep away the homophobia of institutional politics: that of the Municipality of Cosenza, for example, which denied sponsorship, citing the embarrassment of "so many gay friends," the most popular refrain in the vocabulary of modern homophobes. Or like that of the Municipality of Genoa, which, fresh from its election, decided to use the "no" to the Pride parade as its first administrative act, a preview of a political direction that is very reminiscent of the Middle Ages. But those "no"s remain insignificant syllables in the flood of chants and demands with which we will once again invade the cities," concludes Piazzoni. All the information is available on the website. www.ondapride.it[:]
