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Helsinki Pride
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When:
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Jul - Aug 2007 (annual)
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Where:
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Helsinki
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Helsinki gay and lesbian Pride picks up where the Midsummer Festival leaves off and coincides with the beginning of the summer vacation season in Finland.
Helsinki Pride has a varied cultural and recreational programme. Each day there are discussions and meetings organised by the Finnish gay and lesbian organisation Seta and the Finnish GLBT Amnesty International Group.
The Pride Parade start from Sinebrychoff Park at midday, which then ends at Kaisaniemi Park, by Unioninkatu Street. The Party in the Park continues throughout the day and the Main Party at Vanha Ylioppilastalo (Mannerheimintie 3) kicks off at 9pm and keep on kicking until dawn - not that there's much darkness during the Midsummer period in Finland...
The theme of the last Pride was 'Attitudes'. Legislation and attitudes (especially among the authorities) have improved during the past 25 years. Homosexuality was a crime until 1971 and was considered a sickness until 1981. Finally, since 1995 it has been illegal to discriminate against anyone according to their sexual orientation.
According to recent opinion polls 70%-80% of the Finnish population accepts homosexuality. However, Finland is the only Nordic country where gays and lesbians can’t register their partnership. This is in spite of a poll in May 1996 which showed a wide acceptance to homosexual couples: 67% of Finns were ready to accept Same-Sex Partnership legislation and 44% would be amenable to open marriage for gays and lesbians.
Helsinki Seta has also commissioned the Swedish photo exhibition 'Ecce Homo' by Elisabeth Ohlson, which will run at the Finnish Museum of Photography from 16 June to 6 August. Ecce Homo studies attitudes towards sexual and gender minorities and the basic questions of human life: love, human rights and acceptance of other people as they are.
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