Queer March Ghent is changing its sense of the word March. Instead of being a foot-based activity you could call a walk or parade, ‘March’ now refers to the month of March. A month full of queer activities in Ghent. There will be a protest march for women’s* rights though on Saturday 8 March. On Monday 30 March 2025, there’s T-Day. 

For all activities which include art, debates, talks and quite a bit of sports, go to the calendar. 

“Queer March turns every March queer. We want to unite Ghent’s queer community around a range of activities. Queer March works to support Ghent’s queer community through multiple ways”, QMG says. 

• Queer March Ghent collects funds and use them to financially support different organizations and initiatives. This way they can organise more activities and make them affordable or even free.
• Queer March Ghent foresee spaces (mainly queer owned) for people from the community to organize their events. Some of the partnering spaces for 2025 are Chopin Chopin, Vol Pension and Geheel De Uwe.
• Queer March Ghent organises our own community activities, like panel talks, art exhibitions and parties.

“Together, we stand stronger in facing the rising tide of anti-queer and anti-trans sentiment. While extreme right-wing voices grow louder, unison matters more than ever.”

Queer March aims to:

• connect queer people and organisations;
• empower the queer community;
• educate and create open dialogue;
• celebrate queer pride and diversity

“March is for the queers!”, QMG exclaims.

Past editions

“Queer March 2024 was a blast! On 30 March 2024, we hosted several activities in De Vooruit in Ghent.”

• Panel talks: ‘Pride in crisis?’ and ‘Queer belonging’.
• Workshops such as ‘Feminising techniques’ and ‘Coffee & Families’.
• A fair featuring queer organizations and queer-owned businesses.
• Lots of opportunities to connect, reflect, and have a good time.

Who is behind Queer March?

Queer March is organised by a group of queer-identifying volunteers. “We are independent and grassroots, with no political or institutional affiliations. All of us want to make a positive change, creating spaces for ourselves in our city. Our group welcomes all voices and identities.Everyone is invited to join, share feedback, and build Queer March with us. Want to get involved? Reach out via socials or vzwjanet@gmail.com.”

What do does Queer March Ghent stand for? 

Queer March wants to create inclusive and safe(r) spaces for everyone. “We do not tolerate hate speech, discrimination, or micro-aggressions of any kind.”

“We are proudly queer, feminist, anti-colonialist, anti-racist and anti-ableist. We believe in trans rights, in accessibility for all, and in freedom for the oppressed.

We stand in solidarity with movements for justice worldwide, including a free Palestine.”

Queer March is committed to learning and growing together. “We may make mistakes, but we strive to improve. Our doors are always open for dialogue and new perspectives. If you have ideas for how we can be more inclusive or if you see something we can do better, please let us know via vzwjanet@gmail.com.”

The history

Ghent has a revolutionary queer past. In 1973, Belgium’s first ever public queer march took place in Ghent, when gays, lesbians and bisexuals took to the streets for a national pro-choice demonstration.

In 1978, Ghent hosted the first ‘Homosexual Day‘, organized by De Rooie Vlinder (The Red Butterfly), a leftist, feminist collective.

“Queer March reclaims Ghent’s radical queer roots. It began as a conversation between friends around a kitchen table in 2022. By 2023, we founded vzw Janet and put out an open call for volunteers. In March 2024, the first Queer March became a reality. Let’s keep making queer history!”

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