Radio for gays and lesbians before Valais Gay Pride
Ahead of the Gay Pride event in Sion on June 13, a radio station for gay men and lesbians has been launched in Valais. The organizers also want to address taboo topics and report on how same-sex couples live in Valais.
Vibration Gayradio is broadcast around the clock via the Internet. The radio currently broadcasts music for 90 percent of its program. The proportion of reports, interviews and debates will increase continuously, Jonathan Ruppen, Director of Vibration 108, told the news agency SDA on Wednesday.
The station Vibration 108 was founded by students and has been broadcasting from Flanthey VS since 2003. According to Ruppen, the radio station for gays and lesbians is the realization of an idea that has been lying dormant in the organizers' drawers for several years.
Reports on coming-outs are planned and the aim is to promote mutual understanding, said Ruppen. There will be a live broadcast on the day of Pride. This is the second Gay Pride in Valais. The first took place in Sion in 2001.
There had been massive protests at the time. Since then, the situation has changed, said the director of the radio station. As evidence, he refers to a statement made by the new Bishop of Sion, Jean-Marie Lovey, to French-speaking Swiss radio and television (RTS): "Every person, regardless of their orientation, has the right to maximum respect." (SDA)
