Active members of the Moldovian LGBT community have recently announced the agenda of the forthcoming 8th Gay Pride "Rainbow over the Dnestr river" that is to take place in Cishinau on May 7-9th, 2009.

The pride will start on May 7th with a parade backing the adoption of the National law on Non-discrimination. The next activity is an award ceremony of those journalists who participated in the "For tolerance" contest. Later this evening participants and guests of the pride would be able to eyewitness a landmark same-sex union ceremony.

The second day of the Pride will start with a ceremony of Communion conducted by Diane Fisher - a well-known clerical figure (she-priest). During the whole day different meetings would be available for joining in.

The key events are planned on May 9th - the laying of flowers to the memorial of those who fell during the World War 2 and the transvestites contest "Miss Flawless Queen - 2009".

The calls of nationalists and clericals for wrecking of this gay pride "Rainbow over the Dnestr" in Cisinau can be heard even now. The Pride's organizing committee will do whatever is possible to maintain security of pride's participants and its numerous guests.

"For us this Coming out is a matter of principle", says the statement of "GenderDoc-M" Centre located in Cisinau, "For many years we were deprived on different grounds of a right on peaceful meetings (coming out). And today local authorities still do not want us to go out on the streets (but many religious organizations can do) in order to back the landmark Non-discrimination Law. Guarding dogs of morals and pure ethical norms, to be more precise - inquisitors of the New Age, have monopolized in their favour the right to criticize or back that law. They are not able to understand that in a secular state the Canon law is not in force, all citizens of secular Moldova obey acting laws, not only some part of the population... That's why we want to hold Gay Pride this year, to cry out loud that we are the citizens of Moldova who enjoy our full rights, we have the rights on self-expression and freedom of public gatherings. The State must do everything in order that we could enjoy our rights".

Translated by Yerdna Bananes