For the 27th time, Zurich Pride is taking place in the Swiss capital. As part of the peaceful movement, the community fights, among other things, for more visibility and for more equal rights.
Just a few weeks ago, the country voted by referendum that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. However, there are still some Swiss laws, for example around blood donation by homosexual men, which show that there is still a long way to go until equal rights are achieved.(By the way, Switzerland is not the only country where gay men are not allowed to donate blood, or only under certain circumstances. In Germany, too, there is a generalized assumption of a higher risk that they could suffer from an undetected infection.)
This year, those responsible for Zurich Pride have once again adapted their focus to current events. For example, many statistics show that in this day and age, transsexual people in particular are affected by discrimination of various kinds.
Zurich Pride: "trans*normal - human remains human".
In a press release, the organizers published the motto under which the 27th Zurich Pride will take place: "trans*normal - human remains human". Furthermore, those responsible make it clear once again that the fact that a person is transsexual does not provide a reason to discriminate against him.
In the course of time a lot has happened with regard to the position of transsexual people in society. More and more queers decide to show themselves as they are and want to be accepted exactly as they are. However, there are also many people who do not see transsexuality as a question of identity, but rather as a fetish.
It is particularly impressive to see again and again that the individual groups in the community support each other meanwhile clearly more than it was still the case years ago. Exactly this picture should show up once more during the Prides 2022.
Transsexuals in Switzerland - what is the current status?
In the area of transsexual rights, the community has already achieved some successes in the past. For example, since January 1, 2022, it is no longer a problem for transsexual people in Switzerland to have their gender changed at the local court or the civil registry office.
Previously, the procedure was far more cumbersome. This is because those affected had to appear before a court and "prove" their gender. What ultimately helped many to assert their rights was (rightly) perceived by numerous people as very discriminatory.
Complementing the anti-racism criminal standard, the addition that no one should be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation was registered on February 9, 2020.
The decision to focus this time on transsexuality in the context of Zurich Pride seems against this background like an important addition in a time in which - especially in this area - a lot is changing.
The Zurich Pride Week 2022 in detail
This year's Pride Week in Zurich will take place from June 6 to 19, 2022. During this week there will be several events and important demonstrations. As always, a political parade will highlight the community's viewpoints and demands. Complementing this, a small festival is also planned to bring people together with positive vibes.
Of course, the organizers are anxious to let the Zurich Pride Week take place only under the current health regulations. Accordingly, it remains to be hoped that the Corona Pandemic will not put a spoke in the organizers' plans and that everything can take place as planned.
By the way, here is Patton Oswalt's statement on the New Year's Eve photo with Dave Chapelle