LGBTQ+ foreigners in Czechia: A 'minority within a minority' says Pride spokesperson

Held from Aug. 5 to 11, the Prague Pride Festival 2024 will feature over 200 events dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ people, highlighting their hopes, experiences, and struggles, and showcasing gender diversity in all the colors of the rainbow.

This year’s event carries particular weight, says Reb Xiberras, Prague Pride’s Malta-born international communications officer, who estimates that the 2024 festival will attract as many as 80,000 people, up from about 60,000 people last year.

“We have to show the government that there are LGBTQ+ realities even here in Prague, and also LGBTQ+ expats,” they tell Expats.cz, adding that the highly anticipated event will bring these issues to the agenda of politicians and the public sphere, just months after hopes for full legalization of same-sex marriage were dashed.

Belonging to a sexual or gender minority comes with its fair share of struggles, but being a “minority within a minority,” as Reb describes LGBTQ+ foreigners in Prague, adds another set of specific difficulties, “as an expat may encounter some obstacles that locals don’t,” including linked to cultural adaptation and the language barrier.

According to Reb, LGBTQ+ expats in Czechia must also face an inevitable “loneliness" at times, especially those “who come from a background with a more conservative mentality where it is not possible to be out” – including many Central and Eastern European nationalities.

Despite Czechia being regarded as quite liberal and supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, the recent failure to legalize same-sex marriage indicates that the fight for equality is ongoing. “Individuals from more open societies, where their identity is accepted and they are accustomed to feeling safe and open, may perceive Czechia as more risky than their home country.”

This year, Prague Pride chose the “family” theme – whether by blood or by choice. “Family is the core of society,” Reb tells us. “It’s where we feel safe and secure.” For expats, creating connections and starting their own family in a new place is essential to fight crippling feelings of alienation, isolation, and loneliness.

Reb says opponents of same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ+ rights often use the same argument about the fundamental importance of family to society. These opponents, however, have a much narrower understanding of the term.

And while the mentality has changed significantly over the past few years, with Czechs appearing to be more supportive and accepting, Reb notes: “There has also been an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ speech and for the defense of the so-called traditional family."

Increased security for this year’s Pride March, introduced following threats against its sister parade in Slovakia, is a dire reminder of that complex reality.

Keen on showcasing the diversity existing within the LGBTQ+ community, Reb reminds us that “there are also minorities within the LGBTQ+ spectrum” relating to a wide array of different realities – from transgender and non-binary to gay people.

All are meant to be celebrated, explored, and explained throughout the entire week in nearly a dozen different locations across the city, from the Pride Village and Pride Club on Střelecký Ostrov to Pride Youth (Scouts Institute), Pride House (French Institute) or the Pride Cinema (Edison Filmhub).

For a more intimate gathering space, expats can also head to the Pride Cafe (Dorada Coffee), transformed for the time of the festival into a small hideaway for English speakers in Betlémské náměstí, right in the center of Prague.

The festivities culminate on Saturday afternoon with the parade from Wenceslas Square to Letná Plain, where thousands of attendees will congregate among half a dozen stages. “It’s always breathtaking, this rainbow of colors and people all just celebrating love and diversity,” Reb says. In the end, "that's what it's all about."