St. Petersburg Queer Festival main recipient of the Solidarity Fund

The second St. Petersburg International Queer Culture Festival is the main recipient of the 2011 Stockholm Pride Solidarity Fund.

National funding possibilities for the festival are very limited and LGBTQ organizations are still largely depending on foreign funding for organizing events. The St. Petersburg Queer Culture Festival is the main recipient with the following motivation:

“The Queer Culture Festival is doing a tremendously important job in strengthening the position of LGBTQ people in St. Petersburg. It raises awareness on the fact that Pride celebrations may take different forms in different parts of the world. Stockholm Pride chose the Queer Culture Festival as this year’s recipient, since we believe in the power of change through art and culture. We want to give our support so that the festival can continue its important work for LGBTQ people’s rights.”

- I am very proud that Stockholm Pride is choosing to support a pride festival in Russia, especially considering the recent developments during Moscow Pride where police brutally arrested several activists, says Stockholm Pride International Coordinator Andrea Bergström.

Through culture, art and the open support by celebrities, the festival wants to increase the visibility of LGBTQ people, to encourage and facilitate participation in society. As a result, over 5 000 people have visited the festival and the St. Petersburg Cultural Committee has made an official statement to show support for LGBTQ events.

Stockholm Pride raises money every year for the Solidarity Fund, as a part of international solidarity work to support pride events in need of financial support outside Sweden. Previous recipients include among others Warsaw Equality Days and Zagreb Pride. During 2011 50SEK per Pride Kit go to the Solidarity Fund.