More than 100 people decked out in fun, colourful attire paraded down the Millennium Trail this weekend in celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
It was a greater turnout than organizer Mira Sirois of Queer Yukon had expected, although they had predicted the positive vibes.
“This is probably exactly what I thought it would be like,” Sirois said during an interview after the Aug. 20 parade.
“A lot of rainbows, a lot of smiling people and everyone just kind of having a good time and mingling.”
The march took off from the Healing Totem shortly after noon, following the paved path to Shipyard’s Park.
Sirois previously told the News the event had been operating at a lower capacity than previous years and at a separate time from Pride events that took place across the country in June due to “organizational challenges.”
Sirois said the most important part of the celebration was providing a safe place for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to overcome isolation.
“Pride is a very important thing,” they said.
“But I just love to see the community come together, share space, be accepted for who they are and have a good time.”
The News did not observe marked police officers or RCMP symbols at the gathering.
Organizers had banned uniformed RCMP, members of the police force who are part of an organized police presence and police-related symbols from the parade and all elements of the festival after community consultation and a unanimous board decision in 2020.
The Library of Congress notes the first Pride marches were held in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago on June 28, 1970, the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which marked police raiding a gay bar (not for the first time) and a series of events over six days between police and protesters.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
