Pride march returns to Brandon

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This article was published 20/06/2022 (1213 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Brandon Saturday, welcoming back the first Pride march since 2019 with smiles and rainbow attire.

The parade began at Brandon City Hall and meandered down to Rideau Park for Pride in the Park. The event featured performances from local artists, including drag performer Flora Hex, and booths for local organizations supporting the LGBTQ2S+ community.

“Love is in the air,” said Brandon Pride chair Kenneth Jackson. “This is happiness, joy. It’s just wonderful to see this many people out and having fun and enjoying each other’s company.”

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) was selected to marshal the parade, with support from local high school Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) groups.

Kenneth praised PFLAG for providing support to families with LGBTQ2S+ youth, along with a growing number of active GSAs in Brandon, which are working to create safe spaces for youth to express themselves authentically.

“Those GSAs are really, really getting established and growing,” Jackson said.

One of his key messages for the Pride march was that the fight for LGBTQ2S+ rights remains ongoing. There have been setbacks in both Canada and the United States that have the potential to create lasting harm on LGBTQ2s+ people.

He cited provinces that have called on schools to expose or “out” students that join GSAs as an example.

“That’s dangerous, that’s creating an unsafe place.”

One of the ongoing goals for Brandon Pride is to host events year-round to ensure community support continues.

“We are here. We are not just coming out for one day. You never just come out once in your life. You come out every day of your life, the potential is there,” Jackson said. “I would love to say that we don’t need Pride, but we do and we’re going to be here until we don’t need it.”

PFLAG makes sure to participate in Pride events to demonstrate support for Brandon’s LGBTQ2S+ community, said Laura Crookshanks, Brandon and Westman chapter co-ordinator.

“It’s wonderful to be back in person, I think everybody has missed that for the last couple of years,” Crookshanks said. “I think it’s really important for young people especially, and people in rural areas where maybe the community isn’t as visible and people might think that they are the only one in their community who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender [and/or] two-spirited.”

PFLAG is accessible by phone and email for Manitobans. The organization’s goal is to connect those who reach out with others who have had a similar experience and foster peer-to-peer connections along with provide resources.

She said she hopes the Pride march showed there is a supportive Pride community in Brandon, and that LGBTQ2S+ people can reach out if they need to talk or access information and other resources.

“There are folks here who are very supportive — we are not alone; it’s a big community,” Crookshanks said.

Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School students and GSA members Flint Klassen and Amber Adolphe appreciated the opportunity to connect with LGBTQ2S+ people at the march.

“Seeing all the other people that are also queer and trans and seeing all the diversity is really cool,” Klassen said.

The march marked the couple’s first Pride parade. It was an important rite of passage because they were allowed to express their individualism proudly.

They said they felt welcomed and supported walking in the parade, Adolphe said, because they were surrounded by friends. It can be difficult to come out to people when you do not feel supported, they said, but when you meet the right people, it is much easier.

“I want people to know that you don’t have to come out to everyone as soon as you figure it out. You don’t have to feel the need to tell everyone — it’s whoever you feel comfortable with,” Adolphe said. “If you’re comfortable in your own skin, your being, then nothing else really matters.”

Adolphe’s hope is that the Pride march shows youth it is OK to express themselves in whatever ways feel comfortable.

While some people can be judgmental, Klassen said, when you meet the right people and friends who, “accept you for who you are,” it is a transformative experience.

“Love yourself,” Klassen said. “It doesn’t matter, your sexuality or your preference — you should just love yourself for who you are and you shouldn’t care what other people think.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp