At this year’s Skopje Pride Parade, held in the capital’s City Park, participants sent messages of equality, acceptance, and visibility.
Organizers stated that Skopje Pride Parade 2026’s slogan, “Let everyone know”, emphasized the need for greater visibility for the LGBTI+ community, but also drew attention to the challenges and systemic shortcomings it continued to face. According to them, this year’s march carries a pronounced protest character, which is a response to what they described as increased pressure and attempts to make the LGBTI+ community institutionally invisible.
“The fact that we are here means that we refuse to surrender, that we stand firm in defense of our rights, and that we refuse to be hidden and pushed out of the public space. This is a rebellion against the silence served to us as a condition for safety and fake acceptance, the silence of institutions and politicians who do not recognize the need to advance our rights”, organizers emphasized.
They pointed out that when one group was singled out as problematic or as a spoiler of family values, hate speech toward that group logically increased, while institutions refused to provide the community even basic services, especially in relation to doctors and teachers.