The authorities have once again forced the cancellation of this weekend's Istanbul Pride Parade on Sunday.

The timing of the cancellation, announced Friday, is as significant as it is predictable: this year's Pride celebrations were launched on June 25th, soon after the Presidential elections that took place on that previous Sunday.

The Istanbul Pride Committee, which is comprised of LGBTQ activists and volunteers, has raised its concerns in prior years after the Istanbul Governor Vasip Şahin banned the Pride Parade. It will do so again.

This year's ban was expected considering the bans on other LGBTQ activities announced under the state of emergency earlier this year in Ankara. Even though the Parade has now been banned, LGBTQ activists will carry on with the activities that surround Pride Week, and an effort to mount a peaceful demonstration will be held to raise LGBTQ visibility.

A petition has been launched by the international advocacy group All Out to lobby Şahin to allow the march to go ahead. And on Sunday, activists are still determined to hold a march.

"Boundary" is the theme of the Istanbul Pride this year, which represents the current state of the Turkish LGBTQ movement where activists want to push invisible boundaries that are shaping our everyday life. Read more via Daily Beast