The host city for EuroPride 2027 has been announced after receiving more than half the votes cast.
EuroPride began in London in 1992 and takes place in a different city across the continent each year, with past hosts having been Manchester, Warsaw and Valletta.
And on Saturday (2 November), the Italian city of Turin (Torino in Italian) was chosen for 2027, having polled 53 per cent of the votes. The English city of Gloucester picked up 18 per cent to finish in second place, while Vilnius, in Lithuania, was third with 16 per cent. Spanish resort Torremolinos was the only other bidder.
The event will take place between 18 and 26 June 2027.
Coordinamento Torino Pride’s bid noted that their northern city had been part of the European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) for seven years, and highlighted the setbacks the LGBTQ+ community in Italy is facing, including hate crime rates, the lack of equal marriage legislation, the criminalisation of surrogacy and laws limiting LGBTQ+ parents’ rights.
“All over Italy, we are witnessing a gradual demolition of every effort to safeguard the rights of children of LGBTQIA+ parents,” the bid read.
“Italy is the only EU founding member state (and the only country in Western Europe) to neither recognise equal marriage, the right to adoption for same-sex couples (or single parents), nor allow recognition of a child at birth for same-sex parents.
“So far, all we have is the inadequate law on civil unions that does not include any children’s rights or the right to adoption. These children are denied their right to inheritance, to health, to education.”
Alessandro Battaglia, from Coordinamento Torino Pride, welcomed their selection, saying: “We have been working as a team on Torino’s bid since 2017, so having succeeded in realising this dream fills us with pride.
“The news of this historic moment reminds us that Prides are useful – even necessary – and they should continue to exist, get more numerous and with more participation. It is precisely in this geopolitical scenario that EuroPride’s relevance gets crucial.
“For seven years now, Torino Pride has been part of EPOA because we strongly believe in its strength, enabling political, cultural and practical exchanges among organisations fighting for LGBTQI+ rights throughout Europe. Issues that would otherwise risk being ‘caged’ within national borders can gain an international-scale media echo.
“The international gaze of activists across Europe and the media power of a EuroPride are often the necessary leverage at a local level to obtain attention and rights.
“Turin is a beautiful and welcoming city, and so is Italy, even if dramatically backward in terms of rights. We now look forward to 2027 to make, together with you, this situation change.”
Patrick Orth, EPOA’s interim president, said: “This is a stunning victory for Torino Pride and it is testament to the quality and thoughtfulness of their bid. The political landscape in Italy has changed so significantly in the [past] two years and LGBTI+ people must be protected. EuroPride Torino 2027 will be an important opportunity for us to come together and show our unity and strength.
“This is only the fourth time in our history that there have been four bids for EuroPride, and all four were of an exceptionally high quality. I want to thank all the bidding organisations for the huge work they contributed in recent months to develop their bids. There has to be only one winner but we hope the other bidders will consider running again in the future.”
The next EuroPrides will take place in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, next year, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2026.
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