THE PRIDE COLLECTION

"The importance of looking at each other like humans, further than our appearance and who we like/love. Learning to appreciate the beauty in diversity , different shapes and colors which is nothing but part of the great range of possibilities that is the human being."

"Belgium is one of the leading countries in terms of trans and LGBT rights and we should be proud of that. We are not there yet, still too often we are seen as a group that must be tolerated in the margins of society. Tolerance is not enough. We are at the center of society and deserve at least as much respect and representation as white, cisgender heterosexuals without being accused of political correctness or over-sexualizing children. We simply want equal rights expressed not only in legislation, but also in representation, education, culture, politics, etc."

"For me Gay Pride is an ongoing process of learning and education. I am still learning myself, as a gay person, about the broad spectrum that is queer identity. Therefore I think Pride is still as important as ever to hold a mirror up to society and to put into question some outdated values and norms."

"I think we’re making progress but we’re still far from where we need to be. The queer representation is still very CIS normative and sometimes superficial. Diversity in gender and sexuality needs to be normalized, talked about, taught about... Sexuality and gender orientation is a part of who you are but it’s not what defines you to the point where that’s one of the first things a person is judged for when it’s anything other than straight or cis-gender. These subjects should be discussed in mandatory classes at school since it’s one of the foundations of humanity. I wish for a future where my identity does not play a role in my fear of feeling unsafe in a certain space or crowd."