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The first Pride Parade in Altona, Man., Was a “monumental moment” for the community and for the LGBT children living there, says a man who spoke at the parade.
“Just seeing gay people and queer allies walking the streets is a big change,” said Greg Klassen, who grew up in nearby Carman, Man., But moved away shortly after leaving in the 1980s.
“He tells these kids that they’ll be fine, that there are people like them, that there are safe places they can go … and that there are people in their community who get it,” he said. The Current guest host Duncan McCue.
Altona, a town of just over 4,000 inhabitants, held the first Pembina Valley Pride Parade two weeks ago.
Several other small Canadian towns are also hosting their first Pride Parades this year, in what organizers say is an important step for LGBT representation in smaller cities and rural areas.
Klassen said speaking at the event in Altona was an exciting and full-circle moment for him, and a stark contrast to his experience of growing up, when his church and community “didn’t really believe anyone was gay.” .
“There was no one to admire, to say that’s what you could be or what you could become,” he said.
“I went back to Altona because I wanted those kids to see a happy, successful person who came from … their area,” he told McCue.
LISTENING Greg Klassen is heading to Pembina Valley Pride
News radio – MB7: 12Greg Klassen goes to the pride of the Pembina Valley
Although there was some opposition to the parade, Klassen said it brought him “immense joy to see 500 people march with rainbow flags through the main streets.”
“A lot of gay people move away from their small towns to go to bigger cities to find community. And I think that’s going to keep happening,” he said.
“But I think the important thing is that we can go back where we came from and live if we want to, [and] to feel like whole people, whatever we are. “
A rainbow pedestrian crossing was installed last year in Vanderhoof, BC, but has been vandalized several times. (Submitted by Kjerstina Larsen)
The Crosswalk photo shoot inspires BC Pride
The town of Vanderhoof, north of BC, with a population of approximately 4,500, is hosting its first Pride event this weekend.
Kjerstina Larsen had the idea to organize it after inviting the public to a Pride-themed photo shoot last year at the city’s Rainbow Pedestrian Crossing.
“I just thought, ‘Hey, you know what? I took out 60 people. I think this city is ready to have a pride event,'” said Larsen, director of Vanderhoof Pride.
The rainbow pedestrian crossing was installed last year, but Larsen said not everyone in Vanderhoof welcomed it, and some residents complained on Facebook that “it wasn’t going well.” .
Kjerstina Larsen helped launch the first Pride celebrations in Vanderhoof, BC, this year. (Submitted by Kjerstina Larsen)
Once installed, it was also vandalized and required repainting, he said.
“It was a little hard to see, but it also resulted in some really good experiences,” he said.
“After being vandalized for the first time, an elementary school came out there with colored chalk and they were painted over burnouts and stuff, which was very beautiful and touching to look at,” he said.
Larsen hopes this weekend’s parade will generate more connections between the local community and support opportunities or activity groups that come together throughout the year. For now, look forward to this weekend’s festivities.
“We have rock painting contests and face painting and hula hoop … roller skating, tie-dye, just a lot of activities,” he said.
“You could be that spark”
Living on Fogo Island in Newfoundland, Trevor Taylor and his partner joked that “they would start our own Pride Parade just by taking our flags and walking down the street.”
But in 2019, Taylor said he “had the courage” to bring a group together and organize a whole week of Pride events, with good attendance at a flag-raising, barbecue, bonfire on the beach and readings in the library. They also handed out Pride flags to the community at large.
“That first year we were very happy to see that there was so much community support, in a small community,” said Taylor, director of Fogo Island Pride.
The first Pride events on the island of Fogo in 2019. (Submitted by the Pride of the Island of Fogo)
They found some opposition, including the uprooting and vandalism of Pride flags.
But Taylor said she has seen the difference a Pride celebration can make and has felt the island’s youth meant a lot to them to feel supported by their community.
“He started conversations between families that maybe never, never would have happened,” he said.
Taylor said some people have suggested that Pride celebrations are an attempt to “change the community, [that] we are changing the culture. “
“I would argue against that. I think we’re just pulling out what was already there, but we’ve never had a voice,” he said.
Trevor Taylor, on the right, started Fogo Island Pride with his partner, Evan Parson, on the left. (Submitted by Trevor Taylor)
He believes the pandemic has helped LGBT people in small towns and rural areas to connect digitally, between provinces and across the country.
This could help other small towns start their own Pride parades, he said.
“If you don’t see it in your own community, contact these larger organizations and ask for this help,” he said.
“Maybe you can be that spark.”
Written by Padraig Moran. Produced by Enza Uda and Meli Gumus.