Just because events are cancelled this June doesn’t mean that pride is cancelled. Of course, there will not be pride parades happening this summer but pride is so much more than a physical space or event. Pride is a feeling. Pride is a celebration. Pride is a protest. Pride is a riot. Pride is a recognition of LGBTQ+ history.
History of Pride
Pride month is June as a commemoration of the Stonewall Riot that happened in New York in 1969. The following year the term ‘gay pride’ was coined. Even though members of the LGBTQ+ community were harassed and persecuted they could choose to have pride in themselves and their identity. Though pride was not always a celebration. Pride was a fight for LGBTQ+ rights, and it still is. We’ve made significant progress in LGBTQ+ rights, especially in Canada, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
Read more about the significance of ‘pride’ in the LGBTQ+ community in this Bustle article.
Since we have made so much progress in the LGBTQ+ community, and pride has become more of a celebration, many of us have different ideas of what pride means.
To me, pride means finally being comfortable in a body I felt was objectified in a way I never consented to. Part of me wanted to say a body I felt trapped in since this is a common transgender narrative, but that doesn’t feel true to me. I don’t believe I ever felt trapped in my body, rather I felt I wasn’t seen the way I wanted to be. Pride means having the freedom to love out loud and in a way that makes me happy and feel validated and accepted (Read my other article on my experience being transgender and gay). Pride means supporting my community and the people that are a part of it. That means fighting for the rights of others, supporting those who are not able to come out yet, and being visible for those who need a role model.
What will pride mean this year?
This year we take Pride virtual. We find spaces and communities where we can be visible, we uplift the voices of LGBTQ+ creators, and we attend online celebrations.
This year there are plans for an online global pride! InterPride, who typically organizes WorldPride every few years in different cities plans to organize a 24-hour online global pride on June 27th. They’ve partnered with national Pride organizations all over the world and the hope is that local Prides (from Sydney to San Francisco) will have fifteen minutes of their own based on their time zone.
In Canada, many local Pride organizations, including Vancouver Pride society, are working to move events online.
Flare has put together a great list of Canadian events happening this pride month. Access that list here (and they will continue to update this last as events are announced).
Looking for other ways to celebrate? Here is a great list of Queer Podcasts and radio for you to enjoy this month.
Pride Celebrations in Vancouver
I’m from Vancouver, BC. So, what’s happening in Vancouver? Pride doesn’t normally happen until BC Day Long Weekend (the first long weekend in August) and many of those events will be taking place online, including a virtual parade. You can stay up to date on online events hosted by the Vancouver Pride Festival on their Facebook page.
Some event organizers have switched to online events to help keep us connected (and entertained). So, let’s build a list of LGBTQ+ events available online but hosted by Vancouver organizations this month so we can celebrate together. Please comment to help me add to this list (include date, time (including time zone), and a link).
June 14th – 8 pm PST Commercial Drag (ongoing events)
More than Just a Celebration
As I already mentioned, pride is more than just a celebration. Many organizations coordinate their annual fundraising around pride events and rely on that funding to support the important work they do in the community. So, another thing we can do this year is to donate to the organizations that need our support if we are able.
Here are some black led LGBTQ+ organizations you can donate to:
LGBTQ+ Freedom Fund: They post bail to secure the safety and liberty of LGBT people in jail and immigration detention and raises awareness of the epidemic of LGBTQ over-incarceration.
Trans Justice Funding Project: It’s a community-led funding initiative supporting grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people.
Black Visions Collective: A black, trans, and queer-led organization that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence, and shifting the narrative to create transformative, long-term change.
Center for Black Equity: An organization committed to supporting leaders, institutions, and programs for health, economic and social equity for black LGBTQ people.
The Marsha P. Johnson Institute: Protects and defends the human rights of black transgender people by organizing, advocating, creating an intentional community to heal, developing transformative leadership, and promoting creative power.
The Okra Project: A collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by black trans people by bringing home-cooked meals and resources to the community.
The National Black Justice Coalition: A civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of black LGBTQ people and people living with HIV/AIDS, with the mission of ending racism and stigma towards LGBTQ people.
The Black Trans Advocacy Coalition: A national organization led by black trans people to collectively address the inequities faced in the black transgender human experience.
Yes! Pride is a feeling! I think sometimes too much focus is put on the party aspect of it – which is totally fine and fun and gets people involved. But like you said, the fundraising and awareness of issues is really important!
It’s also interesting to think about Pride with a racial context due to everything that is going on in the world right now. For white people (like me) Pride can be a celebration but for others QTBIPOC there is still a ways to go in terms of rights, so it’s important to be mindful of what Pride means as well as the history of Pride.