Atlanta, Georgia. – The Atlanta Pride Committee (APC) announced the details today about their involvement with the International Association of Pride Organizers’ (InterPride) Solidarity Fund grant. Last week, InterPride announced their 2015 grant recipients.
The mission of the Solidarity Sub-Committee of InterPride’s Human Rights Committee is to distribute the funds collected by membership and sponsors to organizations that are helping create change and promote a better understanding of LGBTI communities. Grants are awarded annually to community-based events around the world, with a particular focus on programming taking place in areas where public events are often challenging and met with hostility.
APC long time Board Director and past-chair, also InterPride Vice President, Cain Williamson said of the project, “As long standing members of InterPride, Atlanta Pride is a firm believer in the organization’s mission to assist with local LGBTQ activism across the globe. This is why we have made contributions to the Solidarity Fund for the past few years.”
He continued, “Though the intensity of the struggle for LGBTQ civil and human rights that we wage here in Georgia is different than other places on the planet, it is still the same struggle. And Atlanta Pride believes that standing in solidarity with peers around the world is the only way to change it.”
Executive Director, Jamie Fergerson said of Atlanta Pride’s involvement, “For more than a decade, Atlanta Pride has been represented in the leadership of InterPride. Having so many of our leaders involved in InterPride has shaped who we are as an organization. Part of our work as a large Pride organization is to support smaller Prides – especially those in hostile environments – whether that be in the rural Southern United States or in other parts of the world.”
Fergerson added, “We do this through providing logistical support, financial support, and by bringing a human rights focus to our own festival. In 2007, Atlanta Pride implemented an annual human rights and cultural exhibit that seeks to highlight issues LGBTQ people face worldwide.”
She finished, “We are a founding member of the Solidarity Fund, and we also support other LGBTQ organizations through our community reinvestment program. Our commitment to justice extends far beyond the geography of metro Atlanta and that commitment expands well beyond the festival weekend; we believe in a world where people of all gender identities and all sexual orientations should have equal rights and protections.”
This year, the Solidarity Fund will provide support to 9 projects in 8 countries. Funds will be used to support art exhibitions as part of Sophia Pride Week in Bulgaria, a public gathering for LGBTI communities on World AIDS Day in Digali, Rwanda, support for the Hong Kong Pride Parade, and a performance as part of Delhi Queer Pride in India. Public events are also being supported this year in Ulan Bataar (Mongolia), Riga (Latvia), Nairobi (Kenya), Cape Town (South Africa), and Tirupati (India).
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About Atlanta Pride: The main purpose of the Atlanta Pride Committee (APC,) a 501 (c) 3 organization, is to promote unity, visibility and self-esteem among lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and queer persons and to promote a positive image in the Atlanta area and throughout the Southeastern United States through community activities and services.
The main mission of the APC is to provide lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender and queer persons with cultural and educational programs and activities which enhance mental and physical health, provide social support, and foster an awareness of the past and present contributions of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and queer persons, through community activities and services, including an annual Pride event.
About InterPride: InterPride exists to promote Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride on an international level, to increase networking and communication among Pride Organizations and to encourage diverse communities to hold and attend Pride events and to act as a source of education.
InterPride is a voice for the LGBTI community around the world. They stand up for inequality and fight injustice everywhere.
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