34 years and counting… Vancouver celebrates Pride
Posted August 4, 2012 12:36 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Singing, dancing, and cheering. The West End is celebrating Pride this weekend.
Tomorrow, the 34th Annual Pride Parade will weave its way through the streets. Vancouver Pride Society President Tim Richards believes it’s important to keep this tradition alive.
“I know from personal experience there’s many places in our city where it’s not safe to hold the person’s hand that you really love,” says Richards, who came out 16 years ago after attending his first pride parade.
He says despite all the advanced that have been made since then, homophobia still exists.
“It’s really important that younger people or people of all ages have an opportunity to see the great diversity that exists,” Richards notes. “[It’s] partly about homophobia, but certainly one of the things we’re raising more awareness about is transphobia.”
He adds everyone is welcome at the event, which starts tomorrow at noon.
The grand marshal of the parade is Jenna Talackova, the trans-gendered beauty queen that made headlines for being in one of Donald Trump’s Miss Universe contests.
(Pride Parade route courtesy of the Vancouver Pride Society)
