Silencing the Rainbow: The Territorial Effects of Pride Cancellation

Abstract

The pause in Pride parades, particularly highlighted during the pandemic, reminds us of the importance of actively including and celebrating nonheteronormative communities. It emphasizes the need to cultivate understanding and acceptance of diverse sexual orientations. This study navigates through the landscape of Madrid Pride, focusing on understanding how its unforeseen cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic has influenced the LGBTQIA+ communities’ sense of space, openness, safety, visibility, acceptance, and equality. The research is centered on examining the connection between Pride parades and the appropriation of spaces that are typically seen as conforming to heterosexual norms. It takes into account the viewpoints of the LGBTQIA+ community (including activists, organizations, and potential attendees) as well as the perspectives of event stakeholders (such as organizations, local community members, and tourism professionals). A social representation theory‐based inductive approach was utilized, drawing from queer and feminist perspectives. The cancellation of Pride events in recent times has caused significant disruption to the de‐ and reterritorialization of space. This has had far-reaching implications in both the political and social realms for the LGBTQIA+ community and its public profile.