This isOne Good Thing,cerita lucah melayu lecturer a weekly column where we tell you about one of the few nice things that happened this week.
The small African country of Swaziland celebrated its first ever LGBTQ pride on Saturday and no one, not even Donald J. Trump, can destroy this tiny bit of joy.
It wasn't an easy event to organize in Swaziland, a largely conservative country where anti-sodomy laws exist, according to the Daily Beast. Still, organizers pushed forward.
SEE ALSO: LGBTI activists are reclaiming Rwanda, one neighborhood at a timeThe event was organized by Rock of Hope, a local Swazi LGBTQIA+ nonprofit, as well as volunteers from home and broad.
"We have planned, not only a march as is customary of the Pride events throughout history. Pride for us is also about demonstrating our diversity to include all citizens and to create a space for sharing and learning," Rock of Hope's Advocacy and Communication Officer Melusi Simelane, told Mashable before the event.
"With regards to violence we have been assured by the Royal Swazi Police that they will provide security and we have hired additional private security."
These activists from #PrideUganda are sending their love to the first #Swaziland Pride this Saturday: #eSwatiniPride #AllOutSwazi #Pride @TheRockOfHopeSD @icebreakersUG pic.twitter.com/EzCFUaPkUY
— All Out (@AllOut) June 27, 2018
As allAfrica notes, a 2017 U.S. State Department report found that "societal discrimination" against LGBTI people is common in the country, and that "LGBTI persons who were open regarding their sexual orientation and relationships faced censure and exclusion from the chiefdom-based patronage system, which could result in eviction from one’s home."
Though the Swazi police gave permission for the event, a police spokesperson from the area made his views clear to the Times of Swaziland, according to allAfrica: "We say no to homosexuality."
Still organizers remained confident ahead of the event:
"As the inaugural Pride event, we hope to demonstrate that as citizens of Swaziland we are as human as anyone else and that we deserve to claim that space of equality," Simelane told Mashable. "At the same time we wish to welcome society at large to introduce themselves to us and bridge the divides that fear has created."
According to a tweet from All Out, an organization that fights for LGBTQIA+ rights around the world, Saturday's event "was a HUGE success! The community and their allies painted the street of this country rainbow, with a beautiful, colourful parade that was literally exploding with joy."
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Swaziland is a tiny country in southern Africa with just 1.4 million people. No matter how small, every Pride -- and every person it celebrates -- counts.
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