Pride parade is held in Istanbul. As a matter of fact, this is the biggest Pride parade held in a country
with a Muslim majority and also is the closest Pride parade to Iran. This parade first started in 2003
with the participation of 30 people and in 2013 nearly 100,000 people participated in it. At the same
time, other parades were held in Antalya and Izmir with 2000 people attending. The parade was first
introduced to the capital, Ankara in 2008.
Hoodad Toloee alongside a couple of homosexual refugees residing in Istanbul attended the Istanbul
Pride Parade as an IRQO representative this year. These individuals have tried to express many of the
problems of the sexual minorities of Iran while participating in the parade and holding banners with
messages from the people they were representing. Here are some photos from the 2014 Istanbul Pride
