The 2013 Edmonton Pride Festival, with its signature rainbow colours, returns for its 33rd year with plenty of revelers lining the streets for the kick-off parade.
Environment Canada is predicting sunny 22-degree weather and organizers are hoping the parade route will be jammed with enthusiastic supporters.
Throughout last year's week-long festivities, an estimated 30,000 people of every age stood shoulder to shoulder in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer (LGBTQ) community.
The festival, running June 7 to 16, is more than a celebration of hard-won basic human rights and freedoms. It's a celebration of sexuality and a celebration of family.
"We want people to stand together to recognize the richness and diversity of the LGBTQ community. I would encourage people to come down. Edmonton is the centre of a lot of changes and it's a place to be proud. You can learn about the history and what needs to be done as a way to continue to evolve," says marketing and communications co-ordinator Terry Harris.
The 11-day festivities offer an abundance of – 34 to be exact – activities that range from the adult oriented dances, pub crawls, a tickle trunk party and Mr. Gay Canada to the family craft night, city tours, mayor's brunch and family picnic.
Now in the final year of its three-year theme, Stand Up! Stand Out! Stand Proud!, the community is holding its head high.
Rev. James Ravenscroft, the St. Albert United Church pastor who came out of the closet at age 19, is a strong advocate of human rights. He plans to walk in the parade and leads Soul Outing, a worship service for LGBTQ individuals at Robertson-Wesley United Church on Sunday, June 9.
"For me the purpose of Pride is pride. It's to say 'I am here and I'm not going to go back in the closet because it makes you more comfortable. I am entitled to the same rights and freedoms you are.' At the same time, we don't want to make people recoil. We have to balance things."
Fenya Fitzpatrick, 14, a member of St. Albert United Church, once again plans to walk the parade route with her family in support of the LGBTQ community.
As a Grade 9 student at Victoria School of the Arts, Fitzpatrick is in daily contact with many LGBTQ students and says the issue of sexuality rarely comes up. It is simply not necessary to discuss it.
"Who you love is who you love," Fitzpatrick says matter-of-factly.
Part of a growing number of young people in tune with the gay rights movement, she recognizes its importance at the grassroots level.
"For me it's great that people show support for a group that has been put down in the past."
In addition, to support the LGBTQ community, Fitzpatrick also aims to break down the stereotypical notion that all Christians hate gays.
"That's important to me. I don't have many friends that are not Christian. Some people have it in their heads that Christians don't like gays, but I wanted to show it's not like that."
Turbulent roots
In Alberta's more relaxed 21st century sensibilities, it is difficult to imagine police handcuffing, harassing and arresting gay people simply for meeting in public places. Yet half a century ago Edmonton police did, in fact, raid homosexual bathhouses.
But by all accounts, the most famous rebellion against government persecution was the Stonewall Riots in New York. In the 1950s and 1960s, gays and lesbians faced an anti-homosexual legal system in part fuelled by Senator Joseph McCarthy's hearings on anarchists and communists. In addition to being considered a psychiatric personality disorder, homosexuality was also considered subversive.
The FBI and police departments kept confidential lists of homosexuals and their favourite establishments. Bars catering to homosexuals were shut and customers arrested and exposed in newspapers. Cities performed sweeps to rid gays from public places such as parks, bars and beaches.
New York City had only one welcoming gay bar – the Stonewall Inn. Operated by the mafia in gay-friendly Greenwich Village, it catered to marginalized people – drag queens, transgenders, effeminate young men, male prostitutes and homeless youth.
City police raided the bar on Saturday, June 28, 1969, attempting to arrest patrons. A spontaneous riot ensued and police quickly lost control. For six nights, the closeted and disenfranchised fought police batons and pepper spray with signs, fists, garbage cans, bottles and shoes.
Within weeks, Village residents formed groups and strategized how to be open about their sexual orientation without fear of arrest. The backwash rippled quickly across North America, morphing into continent-wide Pride festivals.
Several years ago, former councilor Michael Phair, a member of the Edmonton Pride committee, pieced together a rough history of Edmonton's Pride celebrations.
According to Phair, Pride was launched in the early 1980s as closed or private events.
In the accounts, Phair notes, "In the early '80s, I recall that Pride took place at Camp Harris, a private campground with a small cabin, outdoor grill for hotdogs and hamburgers, a baseball field and open spaces. Usually organized by several gay groups, Pride at Camp Harris included sports games (usually 'campy' games), pot luck, a hotdog/hamburger roast, and oftentimes a song fest around a campfire."
During the 1980s, the Gay Lesbian Awareness Society (GALA) organized much of Pride. In 1990, GALA took a huge leap and organized the first Pride parade in Old Strathcona on Whyte Ave.
"Many of us set things up and decorated the gazebo in the square next to the Old Strathcona Market for that first march. I will never forget arriving a half hour before the parade not knowing if anyone would show up, turning the corner of 83 Avenue and seeing 30 people assembled. It is one of the most exhilarating memories of my years with Pride. By the time we marched – all two blocks of Whyte Avenue – about 75 people marched with paper bags over their heads," Phair comments.
The strides in the last 30 years have been enormous. Last year, Allison Redford made history as Alberta's first premier to attend a Pride parade. Her appearance, along with that of the other leaders of provincial parties, signaled a clear and distinct political, social, cultural and sexual acceptance of the LGBTQ community.
In spite of the huge leaps taken in the last 50 years, Ravenscroft says he is under no illusion that the rights and recognition received could all disappear.
"It's important to stand proud. I am able to be as open as I can because others put their necks on the line to say 'we are a larger group than you think and we are tired of being made to feel small.' Because of their work, I was able to step forward and because of the work I do, the next generation will be able to step forward."
For Ravenscroft, Pride festivals have a lasting impact.
"People are able to put a face to who LGBTQ people are. Literally on the parade route, you could see a co-worker and say 'It's no big deal. It's just Allison or Joe' and that kind of recognition breaks down barriers."
Inclusion
Today the face of Pride focuses less on political struggles and more on family and the inclusion of every sexual orientation. Basically, it's a time to party and enjoy life.
"There's something about Pride – having a huge gathering of people celebrating and proudly cheering on the accomplishments of how far we've come in being part of the fabric of the community."
The Pride Parade will begin at noon on Saturday, June 8. It will start at 107 Street and 102 Avenue. The route follows 102 Avenue until it reaches Churchill Square on 102 Avenue and 100 Street.
The square will be packed with activities and entertainment featuring Toronto impersonator Miss Congeniality as host of the main stage acts. In a nod to increasing numbers of youth participants, a secondary youth stage will be set up beside Stanley Milner Library. St. Albert's country singer Emily Seal is one of several emerging artists on tap to showcase their talents at the under 21 stage. In addition, the dynamic duo of Jessy Mossop and Stephen Lecky will belt out a round at the Kids in the Hall wine bar.
A complete list of ticketed and free events and activities at www.edmontonpride.ca.
