From my friend and colleague, Rex Wockner:
City Bans First Latvian Pride ParadeI wonder how the Latvian government feels about decreased tolerance for our tourism, business and government dollars being given to a country run by bigots?
Organizers Vow Disobedience, Request Help
by Rex Wockner
City officials in the Latvian capital of Riga banned the nation's planned first gay-pride parade July 20 after Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis denounced it as "a parade of sexual minorities [taking] place in the middle of our capital city next to the Dom [Cathedral]."
"This is not acceptable," he said. "Latvia is a state based on Christian values. We cannot promote things that are unacceptable to a large part of society."
A city spokesman claimed the planned march would harm gays and lesbians by decreasing tolerance for them.
"The majority of society was against it, and it could result in unrest," said Ugis Vidauskis, spokesman for Riga City Executive Director Eriks Skapars.
In this paragraph, replacing "June" with "July":
Parade organizers vowed to hold the July 23 parade anyway and also
immediately filed suit in the Administrative Court, alleging violation
of their constitutional rights.
They urged supporters to e-mail, phone and fax Kalvitis and Skapars promptly. The contact information is:
Aigars Kalvitis, Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, 36 Brivibas Boulevard, Riga LV 1520, Latvia. Email: vk@mk.gov.lv. Telephone: 011-371-708-2810. Fax: 011-371-728-5943.
Eriks Skapars, Riga City Executive Director, Ratslaukums 1, Riga LV 1539, Latvia. E-mail: ivars.maurins@rcc.lv. Telephone: 011-371-702-6130.
