Work to be done after successful Central Alberta Pride Week: Organizers

Organizers say the fifth annual Central Alberta Pride Week, which wrapped up on Sunday, was a success.

Serge Gingras, Chair with the Central Alberta Pride Society, says from the get go, more people came out in support this year, including to the first Pride in the Park at Bower Ponds.

Because of the larger venue, live entertainment on stage all day and a beer garden, Gingras says, close to 800 people attended.

“We had a phenomenal week. Everything went really well and the feedback we got during the week was that it is an excellent thing to have in Red Deer,” Gingras says. “I think we have to start looking at offering activities throughout the year.”

Gingras says one of the highlights of the week for him was a forum on LGBTQ+ topics and the aging LGBTQ+ community at the Golden Circle.

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“From that conversation, I’m quite confident there will be more conversations about the aging LGBTQ+ community and how to support and accommodate them in the future,” he says. “We had people standing up by the end saying ‘I want you to hear my story.’ This was the first time for some that we had provided them with a safe environment to actually stand up and share their stories.”

Another event which took a leap forward this year was the Drag Show and Dance at the Sheraton, previously hosted at the Legion. The Pride Society expected to sell around 400 tickets, but attendance wound up closer to 520.

Other events hosted during Pride Week including a bowling and comedy night at Heritage Lanes, the fruit float down the Red Deer River, rainbow crosswalks unveiling and an information session provided by the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Gingras says while Pride Week represents a lot of accomplishment, there is still much work to be done, including in schools where students still don’t feel safe in their own skin.

“People have their negative opinions about our community because they are either poorly educated and/or narrow-minded – it’s one conversation at a time, one individual at a time, you cannot convince everyone of everything all at once,” Gingras admits.

“People who have that kind of opinion about us have never experienced discrimination or been treated unfairly and they don’t know what it feels like or what it means until they are treated unfairly. It takes a long time for some people to change and some people will never change, but by in large, the community is very supportive. It’s a minority of people who are negative towards us.

Central Alberta Pride Society is hosting its Annual General Meeting at 6 p.m. on August 29 in boardroom two at the Sheraton. They are seeking new board members.

To stay further up to date with the society, visit www.CentralAlbertaPride.ca.