|
Sunday, October 12, 2008
|
|
|
|
Temp:
|
4°C
|
|
Feels like:
|
4°C
|
|
Humidity:
|
75%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Pride Parade hits the streets |
|
|
Written by SCOTT STANFIELD
Citizen staff
|
|
Saturday, 05 July 2008 |
Related Items
FIRST NATIONSCITY HALLVALENTINE CRAWFORD
The 12th annual Prince George Pride Society event incorporated a pair of new events, Drag Queen Bingo and a Stonewall Social, the latter of which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the gay rights movement. Saturday's program incorporated a barbecue and entertainment to encourage people to linger at the City Hall grounds after the parade.
"This is the biggest crowd we've ever had stay," society president Valentine Crawford said. "It's been a phenomenal shift, but we've got a long way to go. It takes a while before things catch on and build."
Still, Crawford was impressed not only by Saturday's turnout but by the behaviour of the public.
"We actually had spectators sitting on the sidewalks this year and participating that way. That's the first time we've ever seen that."
Theresa Healy, an adjunct professor at UNBC who served as a grand marshall at the 2003 event, was among the parade participants. She has seen a change in attitude since the inaugural Pride Days celebration in 1997 when placard-bearing protesters lined Quebec Street.
"I'm really proud of the gay people in Prince George - the gays, the lesbians, the bisexuals, the transgendered," said Healy, who married her partner, Wendy Young, during Pride Days in 2003, the same year the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned a B.C. Supreme Court decision that restricted marriage to heterosexuals.
For the most part, Healy feels Prince George does not live up to its redneck reputation.
"There is a really strong current in Prince George that is progressive and is supportive of not just Pride but of other important elements, like aboriginal and First Nations people, and looks at social issues like poverty," Healy said. "Pride becomes the flash point that does bring out that negative element, but for the most part I think Prince George gets a bum wrap."
Arguably, redneck attitudes could be more prevalent in Vancouver, even in the "gay-friendly" West End, where Healy recalled the 2001 murder of Aaron Webster, who was killed by a gang of thugs.
"It's a bit of a joy ride, it's a bit of an exercise in entertainment for these dreadful people to come in from the suburbs and cruise the West End looking for gay guys to beat up," Healy said.
Crawford feels Prince George, like every city and town, will always be burdened to some degree with the redneck tag. But he is optimistic that all people, even the hardcore cases, are capable of adjusting attitudes about alternative lifestyles. Like his colleague, a "converted redneck" whose view of the world changed drastically after college and university, and after a trip to San Francisco during that city's Pride event.
"It's about educating and learning that the world is a lot bigger than one little avenue," Crawford said.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
|
|
|
Who's Online
We have 23 guests and 2 members online
|
|
|
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Everyone there, (straight, gay or lesbian)and children some pets too all seemed to have a fantastic time.The weather was pretty good too.We all look forward to next year.