Nearly 1,000 participants marched through Lausanne on Saturday during Mad Pride 2023. The rally calls for better acceptance of mental illness in society. Mad Pride took place in Geneva and Bern in previous years.
With music and accompanied by artists on stilts, the parade started around 1 p.m. from Cathedral Square and moved to Europaplatz in the capital of Vaud. The color of the manifestation – yellow – was seen everywhere. “Cognitively abnormal, but with open arms,” read one banner.
The aim of the march is to break taboos and dispel clichés associated with mental illness, Stéphanie Romanens-Pythoud, member of the Mad Pride Committee and president of Coassp, the Western Swiss umbrella organization for mental health, told the Keystone-SDA news. desk. Even if the subject is serious, Pride wants to take some of the drama away.
While the first two of the biennial rally were marches, the Lausanne event consisted of an entertainment program with concerts, shows, conferences, fun workshops and stalls.
It is about showing that all people despite their differences have a place in society, Romanens-Pythoud explains. Although certain diseases are accepted by the public, others are still subject to many taboos, such as schizophrenia.
The measure also aims to promote mental health. Romanens-Pythoud mainly mentioned the numerous hospital admissions of young people due to psychological problems. The problem of mental illness is not an individual problem, but a collective problem.
Mad Pride also offered the opportunity to spread political messages. The focus was on the people’s initiative “for equality for people with disabilities” (inclusion initiative).
Mad Pride was founded in Toronto, Canada. The rallies are based on the pattern of Gay Pride. For the first time in Switzerland, Mad Pride 2019 took place in Geneva. The 2021 edition was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was moved to Bern in 2022. (sda)
source: watson
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