Athens Pride 2023

Saturday, June 10, 2023

Once upon a time…
Once upon a time… they called me by my name.

I could introduce myself without hesitation, show my ID wherever I wanted to and was
addressed with the right pronouns.

Once upon a time… my partnership was recognized.
And the choice was only mine and was not dependent on my sex, gender, and gender identity
or expression. I could have children, a proper marriage, and the family that I wanted -not as
others defined it.

Once upon a time… I was my true self.
I could exist the way I wanted, doctors did not interfere with my body without my consent, Ι never
hid in the depths of “a closet” and neither my gender, my body nor the people I loved had anything to
do with my worth.

Once upon a time… I survived.
I was not forced to leave a world that never made room for me. I wore what I wanted, went
where I wanted, and returned home whenever I wanted. The rates of murder, suicide, and
bullying were not higher for people like me.

Once upon a time… I was not afraid.
I was not afraid to exist, to enjoy, to live. I was not afraid to be my true self.”

As always, this particular fairy tale is only read in closed closets, written in hidden diaries and is
never confessed… until now.
This fairytale is now over.

On June 10th, we will take to the streets as we do every year to celebrate, remember, and
demand the life that is owed to us:
To have our families out in the open,
to love freely, without shame,
to own our bodies,
to make decisions for ourselves,
to not be murdered on the streets,
to not fear for our lives,
to be able to tell our children…
“Once upon a time… I fought for my rights and succeeded”.

Athens Pride 2023
Events: 17.05 – 09.06.2023 all over Athens
Main day with parade, kiosks and live concert: 10.06.2023 @Syntagma Sq