For the first time since 2019, Kelowna Pride Week returns next week without restrictions, and the seven-day celebration is packed with events for everyone to enjoy.
Kelowna Pride Society CEO Claire House can’t wait to see participation, now that there are no restrictions on holding.
“It’s going to be super exciting! We have an event almost every day from Monday to Saturday’s main event,” House said.
“We look forward to seeing a good number of people leave Kelowna and Central Okanagan and show their support for the LGBTQ + communities.”
The Kelowna Pride Society is planning three different marches: a bike ride that was incorporated last year, the festival march in City Park and the trans march, something society believes needs a focus now more than ever.
“I think it’s a very important time to provide spaces for trans young people to get together and to provide a level of visibility that we often don’t see during the rest of the year,” House said.
“There aren’t many community spaces available, so I think it’s a very important time for everyone to come together, especially with the big reaction we’ve seen on trans rights over the last two years.”
House says the Kelowna Pride Society is proud of how far the world has come in terms of accepting people as they are, but the president of the society, Fahmy Baharuddin, believes there is more work to be done.
“I think support should come from allies, it should come from those who are not in the queer community,” Baharuddin said.
“We see pockets of hatred, and that usually comes from the same peripherals as those who are not associated with the queer community, and queer people don’t feel safe in those environments. So it depends on the alliance of those people who they’re not queer … talk and say, “Hey, being gay is okay.”
Kelowna Pride Week kicks off Monday evening at BNA Brewing. The brewery is pouring a special beer for the LGBTQ + community throughout the month, with all proceeds going to the Kelowna Pride Society.
The Kelowna Pride Society expects 10,000 to 20,000 people to come and show their support throughout the week. You can find all the details and a program of this week’s events here.