ABSTRACT
This chapter is a comparative analysis of interviews with Pride parade organizers and key activists, together with the data regarding individual avenues for participation from a survey of participants in seven European countries (Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK) and Mexico. Central to our analysis is that potential Pride participants must be targeted, motivated and encouraged to overcome the barrier of stigmatization in order to become mobilized. The figures for Pride in the Netherlands and Sweden indicate that supportive public opinion in a country positively influences the importance of mass media as a source of information for mobilization. Online social networks were most important in the Czech Republic, Mexico and Poland, environments that are both relatively unfriendly in terms of public opinion, and have weak mobilizing structures in terms of formal mass-based LGBT organizations. Being asked by others is arguably crucial for overcoming the barrier of stigma. In general, the proportion asked by strong social ties was high. Weak ties appear to have been most important for the mobilization of participants in London, Gothenburg and Stockholm. Overall the participants seem to have been more active in recruiting strong ties compared to weak ties.
