PG Pride President – ‘The Show Must Go On’
Image from the 2015 PG Pride Parade – photo 250News archive
Prince George, B.C. – This weekend’s mass shooting in Orlando isn’t slowing down preparations for the Pride Prince George celebration scheduled for next month.
Pride president Stacey Hewlett says the “show must go on” noting more than ever it’s a time for the community to “come together.”
“This is our chance to show the world that we are a progressive community. We have a progressive council, a progressive mayor and we’re growing up. We’re not a little northern town anymore.”
That’s not to say she wasn’t devastated when she heard a lone gunman had killed 50 people and injured more than 50 others at a gay night club in Florida Saturday night.
“It’s absolutely devastating, it’s infuriating. I think a lot of emotions run through your brain. You’re obviously heartbroken but then anger sets in. Like how could this be happening in our day and age. It’s ridiculous to me.”
Hewlett notes Prince George has come a long-ways since it held its first parade 19 years ago and says it’s important to move forward.
“I wasn’t at the first few parades but from what I understand they were pretty scary. Lots of people lining the streets saying really negative things, throwing garbage.”
And though acceptance of the parade has improved drastically since then, does she have any safety concerns this year?
“This community feels safe for the most part. As safe as any community. I mean I certainly feel safe but you look at Orlando and you see that anything is possible unfortunately in our world.”
Pride festivities begin July 8th with the Pride Drag Show and continue July 9th with the Pride Day Festival and Parade.
For more information, check out their ‘Prince George Pride’ Facebook page or their website at the following link:http://prideprincegeorge.wildapricot.org/.
Comments
Please tell me again why we need a gay parade ? I can only speak for myself , but i could care less what you do , or who you do it with when you are behind closed doors.
Who is talking about behind closed doors?
Do you talk about what goes on behind closed doors for heterosexual individuals or those who are asexual?
Go see Dr. Ruth or that other DR on Tv, forgot his name. Many councillors in town help singles or couples.
Over 100 people were just killed or injured because they were gay and you are asking why we need pride???? Right now we need pride more than ever.
Straight people have never been attacked or fired for merely being straight. You do not have to worry about holding your partner’s hand in public. Vacation plans do have to be made by taking into account which country not to travel to for fear of being imprisoned because of your sexuality. Gay pride was not born out of a need to celebrate being gay but their right to exists without persecution. Love is Love, not all people accept that.
Its to demonstrate openness, acceptance in todays world. Kids and adults need not fear or hide but feel good about themselves regardless of who they love or the gender they want to be with.
Well said. For a group in society that have historically (and currently) been disparaged, harassed and worse just for their orientation it’s nice that they can come out (pun maybe intended) and show their solidarity.
It’s nice to be in a country where they are free to do so without the fear of being rounded up. I’m not LGBT myself but I’m a big supporter that they should feel free and safe to be themselves and am proud that they can do so in Canada.
“to demonstrate openness, acceptance”, for every orientation except for hetero.
It is LGBTQ, no H.
So how exactly is it open and accepting?
In addition, it was 49 persons plus a self-inflicted lead insertion.
My wife commented that there was not so much furor for several other mass shooting that have happened over the last couple of years. Certainly, there was aghast about the loss of life, but nothing really over the top like when ever personal orientation is concerned.
If we need to celebrate these life style choices, that can be harmful if conducted in an unsafe manner, then why are we prohibiting people from exercising their freedom of choice in regards to intoxicants and stimulants like cigarettes and pot?
If you don’t like me blowing smoke in your face, then I don’t like people blowing their life style in mine.
These are still choices.
First, Hetero folks don’t have a history of being opressed. Don’t have to play victim.
Not sure what your point was about the Orlando shootings. On top of it being a tragedy is the high likelihood of it being a hate crime.
And then you claim that people choose who they are attracted to, despite it meaning they will be an outcast with a pretty decent chance of losing friends/family as a support network and crapped upon by other small-minded members of society? Yeah that’s probably it.
Where to start on this post? “Over the top like when ever personal orientation is concerned”. How much is ” over the top” when something so horrific happens? How much is “over the top” when a specific group that has a history of being marginalized & oppressed, is the main target of mass killing?
“If we need to celebrate these lifestyle choices, that can be harmful if conducted in an unsafe manner”. Tell me Loki, do you operate a motor vehicle? Ride a bike? Downhill ski? Walk? Use your bathtub or shower? Engage in a heterosexual relationship? I could go on & on, point is everything we do as humans could be harmful if “conducted in an unsafe manner. Posts like yours & others including one that was incredibly offensive, re-enforce why tolerance is needed more than ever.
It was the largest mass shooting in US history and for a country where mass shootings are common, that’s saying something. To not make a furor out of someone specifically targeting and murdering almost 50 people in a single act (the death toll could very well rise), to me, would be strange. I don’t think the response has been out of proportion with the act at all.
As for the last part, I can’t even begin to understand the comparison you are trying to make between people being able to enjoy fundamental human rights and partaking in the use of potentially harmful controlled substances.
They are just colours on the ground. No one is blowing anything in your face.
Wot , I think people that think being gay is a choice must also think that being hetro is a choice . I don’t buy that either . I did not one day see a girl and say , I think I’ll be a hetro . Seems a rediculas notion and completely devoid of empathy .
“I wasn’t at the first few parades but from what I understand they were pretty scary. Lots of people lining the streets saying really negative things, throwing garbage.”
Reading some of the comments leads me to believe the intolerance and bigotry is still there just not as open and direct as it was 20 years ago. If we can get past the superficial… in the end we really are all the same.
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Love how the gay community is monopolizing on the deaths of 50 people in another country…. how tacky.
Where has your outrage been when gays are thrown off of buildings in the middle east? Oh that’s right, you couldn’t capitalize off of events ‘that’ far away. Do you people realize how many of your fellow gays are killed off monthly in Saudi Arabia where it is illegal? It’s punishable by death.
Ah, but you got your event to take a ‘stand’ how proud you must be.
At least have a voice on a few tragedies a year, not just the ones on the front page…
So when you want to knock the Conservatives, and non Liberal supporters, for perhaps thinking twice about how many foreign mulsims we let immigrate here, why don’t you at least be a little less gutless about the situation. They hate you, they hate every fabric of your soul, your lifestyle. Even 30% of non-radical muslims think homosexuality should be punishable by death. Make a stand at least, stop being such a liberal group of followers that really don’t stand up for anything your group represents.
Wow. Well said. I’ve pondered this too. Islam is also not a women friendly religion, yet the feminists of the 80’s are also strangely silent.
The problem is we think somehow our Western culture will wash people’s deeply held religious beliefs away, and we’ll all be singing Kumbaya.
If someone comes from a country where oppression of a group is widespread, you can be sure there’s a good chance they share that belief system even though they flee from it. Some Muslims are fleeing Shiites because they’re Sunni, and vice versa. But they both still believe women are sub citizens and gays, whores, adulterers are deserving of stoning. They play nice now, but look at any country where Islam is predominant and you see oppression. Same is true of Catholicism to a lesser extent.
Libs cannot even fathom keeping out a group of people that hate everything we stand for. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. Let’s settle in 60k people that (generally) hate women’s rights, gays, and every other religious belief.
They tend to have 2-3 wives, 3-5 kids which each wife, while living off of the system an being gainfully unemployed. I mean, they are coming from areas where they have no skill set.
sure, I’m generalizing a bit, but it’s safe to say 30% of the Muslim religion that would come here are… very very above moderate in their beliefs. Nobody wants to address the issue at hand, so they shift blame on… well.. the Christians usually.
A registered Democrat, Islamic terrorist mass-murders gay people. The left blames Christians and the NRA. Wait, what? So a few muslims that go on shooting rampages, and take down the twin towers, do not define being a Muslim.. but one white kid shoots a few people in Georgia, and immediately all gun rights and the confederate flag is removed?
Spot the inequality? How can you demand such tolerance for one religion, when taking away the freedoms guaranteed in your constitution, when another religion does the same thing?
Who is monopolizing? Who are you to say the LGBTQ and their allies have not already been fighting for better conditions in other countries all around the world? Believe me, we have. Pride remains necessary. Until the day comes that every LGBTQ person on this planet can feel safe in their community, we need Pride,
Looks like all of our local homophobes are out in force this morning. That being said, it’s great to see local support for the tragic events in Orlando. I’m looking forward to going to our local Pride Parade. It’s always a good time!
Yeah, people love to show up when you can get noticed. Where is your support for battered women, or victims of drunk driving? Probably nowhere to be found, because you don’t get attention.
Battered woman have Take Back the Night and victims of drunk driving have Madd.. Anything else you been missing over the years??
I’m a white hetro Christian male and honestly I could care less about pride, racism, religion or whatever. It all comes down to being a human and treating all humans as such.
That being said I believe the day that the lgbt community feels they don’t need a parade is the day its finally accepted. I also believe that having a parade and constantly promoting your sexual orientation could prolong the time it takes for that day to arrive when things are just accepted as they are.
Most people in general don’t like anything pushed onto them, whether that’s a belief in religion, political views or sexual orientation and the more its pushed many people tend to push back. I think that’s just a natural reaction for many people.
I know how I feel about people and I’m free to accept what I choose to accept. I know I don’t like having your opinions of sexual orientation thrown at me, but I also don’t appreciate the religious views that some people bring to my front door. It doesn’t make me a bad person cause I know I’m not.
I have friends and relatives that are gay, Jehovah’s Witness, and black and Asian and native American’s and when we treat and respect equally none of those things matter. Were just people and none of us have to flaunt it. We just have to be human and accept the differences that we have.
And as is evident in this article and the responses, the LGBT community is definitely not fully supported in our area yet.
Speaking of parades . Why is there no parade on November 19th? After all it’s international men’s day . We have so much to be proud of and some not so proud of . Maybe that’s the reason that there is no parade .
Ataloss: You and all the other conservative white guys should organize it! You might even be able to get some funding from the Conservative Party and local Churches. You can lead the chant “We’re old, we’re conservative, and we’re terrified of people loving each other!”
So you got something against conservative white guys? WUWT thought we are all supposed to be equal, oh wait.
Summit you couldn’t get it more wrong except for me being an old white guy . I’m actually a life long atheist and I’ve never once voted con or neocon . I used to be an NDP supporter till the Green Party of Canada and BC Greens started to gain traction . Bc Greens just resently doubled their election fund . It’s the only party that puts logic ahead of ideology . Religious people scare me way more than any lgbt person or people ever have . I dispise all religions of the world equally . They all require you to leave you brain at the door .
Looks like we both agree on religions. That’s a start.
Am I the only only who sings the headline? ala Freddie Mercury.
I love a parade, especially the PRIDE parade. Part of me wishes we lived in a society where the parade was not necessary but until that time arrives, let’s party on. The Dark Ages will surely end soon. Won’t they?
Gay? Lesbian? Transgendered? Queer? Whatever?
I really don’t care! To each their own! I believe that everybody, EVERYBODY deserves to be happy!
If the LGBTQ community feels the need to have a parade, go for it! The only issue that I have with some of the parades is the overt sexuality on display. When did Gay? Lesbian? Transgendered? Queer? Whatever?
I really don’t care! To each their own! I believe that everybody, EVERYBODY deserves to be happy!
If the LGBTQ community feels the need to have a parade, go for it! The only issue that I have with some of the parades is the overt sexuality on display. When did it become socially acceptable for grown men to parade around in public in ladies thongs with their balls hanging out? When did it become socially acceptable to dress up as a giant erection and parade around in public? The public nudity, both male and female somehow has become acceptable if it part of a Gay Pride Parade.
I wonder what might happen if one was to try that in public on any other day of the year? Would it be considered acceptable?
Note to self, don’t try to copy and save a comment prior to posting while also trying to answer the phone! Oops about the double comments!
My only problem is there’s NO SAMBA BANDS ! Do people really dress up as giant penises ? I wouldn’t know I ve not seen one of the parades cause there’s NO SAMBA BANDS ! Maybe next year .
Whats the “B” stand for?
If you mean the “B” in LGBTQ, it stands for bisexual.
Googled it, LGBTQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning.
As explained on a radio program in PG this morning by the president of the local organization, “queer” has become into common use by millennials and is not seen by them as a derogatory term as it once was.
Before everyone forgets that there are still some 77 countries where homosexuality is illegal. The USA is one of them even though anti-sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003.
Yes, you read correctly!!! 2003!!!
Despite that, since in the USA, unlike Canada, Criminal law is also defined by the individual states.
Thus anti-sodomy laws are still on the books in 13 states:
Alabama,
Florida,
Idaho,
Kansas,
Louisiana,
Michigan,
Mississippi,
North Carolina,
Oklahoma,
South Carolina,
Texas,
Utah and
Virginia.
Conservative state legislators refuse to repeal the laws and, in some cases, police apparently still enforce them.
Oh, I forgot. The shootings happened in Orlando. That is in Florida, one of the states which apparently refuses to repeal the law because it is unconstitutional and still has police peering into washroom cubicles.
Now, why would the news not pick up on that?
BTW, Florida has a history which makes it somewhat unique in the USA. In 1842, the state enacted its first sodomy law and decided to be harsh.
The sodomy provision read that “any person, who shall commit buggery or sodomy with either human being or beast, shall be adjudged guilty of felony and shall suffer death.” With that, Florida became the first jurisdiction in the United States in 123 years to make sodomy a capital offense other than by adoption of the common law.
In 1868 the new sodomy provision established a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and renamed the crime “the abominable and detestable crime against nature.”
As recently as 1954, the Florida Supreme Court, in the case of McElveen et al. v. State, divided 5-2 to uphold a sodomy conviction.
In the 1965 case of Swain v. State, an appellate court decided that “lewd, lascivious or indecent assault or act upon a CHILD” was a LESSER included offense under the crime against nature.
I think we can see from comments on this site and other news sites which allow comments that the West, too, is slow to change. We have our own fundamental religious believers.
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