The annual Pride parade will run past the Commercial and Bastion St. pride crosswalk on Sunday, June 11. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

pride is protest

Local Pride events seen as avenue for safer, more inclusive Nanaimo

Jun 7, 2023 | 5:24 AM

NANAIMO — It’s a single event through a month-long celebration of inclusivity, however organizers hope it can be the catalyst for permanent change.

June is formally recognized as Pride Month in several countries, with the Nanaimo Pride Festival running a series of events locally to mark the occasion, including the annual parade through downtown Nanaimo on Sunday, June 11.

Stephanie Perry, a director with Nanaimo Pride, said Pride is about community, support and ensuring a safe space for those dealing with gender identity challenges.

“Having that level of visibility where people can self-identify younger instead of just being confused well into adulthood, having these kind of events and having community can allow people to find themselves and find their strength and love themselves earlier on in their journey.”

The parade itself will start on Victoria Cres. around 11 a.m. and move along Commercial and Front streets to Maffeo Sutton Park.

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A festival with entertainment, activities and food trucks will follow until 6 p.m.

Perry said an event like Pride can really help those still not public with their true selves, especially since the pandemic kept a lot of people insulated.

“People were able to negotiate their gender identity without so much visibility in a lot of ways, reflect on their own presentation and identity in a safe place. There has been a new presentation, a new sense of self after all that introspection. Getting to introduce yourself, come out again at Pride is really important and a beautiful thing.”

This year’s theme for Pride festivities locally is “Pride is Protest”.

It’s a poignant message in the wake of countless public, violent attacks on the LGBTQ+ community around the world, and multiple threats made locally.

Perry said Nanaimo was not safe for many in the LGBTQ+ community. They added online hate and vitriol forces them to be extremely careful about what photos are shared online, or who is named in public communications from the society.

It’s also forcing multiple layers of security around the event, including monitoring of social media prior, active conversations with Nanaimo RCMP and a Safe Space Policy adopted by participants and festival vendors.

“We are expecting counter protesters [on Sunday], that has happened in the past as well. If someone has a death threat, that in itself makes that person feel so uncomfortable that they might not be able to participate in an event, that is enough harm for us to raise that to a very serious level.”

Perry also sees Pride as an opportunity for allies and the wider community to be proactive in their support of gender diversity and inclusivity.

They said allyship must go beyond raising a flag, or showing rainbow colours without any real action.

“We don’t want people to just participate in Pride, we want them to learn how to create safe spaces and be a true ally by actually taking steps to create safety in this community, especially for LGBTQ people.”

In addition to Sunday’s parade, a Pride Week Youth Drag Show is scheduled for Wednesday, June 7 at The Vault Cafe.

Youth Pride Prom will be hosted Friday, June 9 at the Royal Canadian Legion Brach 256 on East Wellington Rd. and a Pride Party Extravaganza will be at the Beban Park Social Centre on Saturday, June 10.

Following the Parade, the Society is planning another drag show, at The Queens, on Friday, June 16 and a youth masquerade dance on June 22.

More information on the Nanaimo Pride Festival can be found on their website.

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