120,000 people call for policies on LGBTI+ education during Pride parade in Barcelona

For the first time ever, the Barcelona Pride parade crossed the city center, going from Plaça Universitat to the Arc de Triomf in the Passeig de Sant Joan boulevard. The city's local police said there were around 120,000 people, while organizers say over 200,000 people took to the streets.

There were 53 different carriages. This year, Barcelona Pride's main theme is LGBTI+ education, under the title "Education in Sexual and Gender Diversity: A pending subject."

Some of the attendees said that Pride is used to "visualize" the LGBTI+ community, especially due to the rise of far-right policies across the globe, so "there are no steps back," in terms of rights and freedoms, such as Àlex and Sergi, who said that the parade is "much more than a party. You must take part, as it may seem things are going well, but can quickly change," they told the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

"Right-wing voters tend to change to far-right policies," Sergi said, while Alex added that "we cannot relax."

"We cannot lose our rights, and we need to create a safe space for everyone, even those who are doubting their sexuality," Elisa, from Castelldefels, south of Barcelona, told ACN.

"It is crazy that the far-right is becoming so popular," she added.

Elisa, Àlex, and Sergi were some of the 120,000 people who followed the parade on their new route through Gran Via avenue. In previous editions, it used to take place in the Paral·lel avenue and finish in Plaça Espanya. However, due to the ongoing construction work, organizers changed the route.

Pride promoters and activists are calling for a more inclusive school curriculum, diversity training for teachers, and for schools to function as safer spaces.

The campaign also calls for the training of teachers and school staff, the activation of assistance and support protocols for LGBT aggression, and more educational materials on the subject.

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