Barely a decade ago, a Prince George mayor declaring Pride Week in the city was unheard of. The sight of the rainbow flag flying outside of city hall would have been equally as shocking.
It's just one example of how far support for the LGBTQ community and their hard work at having their rights recognized has come that the 2014 Pride Week is celebrating with its legacy theme.
Sussanne Skidmore, B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union executive vice president, attended last week's World Pride Human Rights Conference in Toronto.
"It's important to acknowledge we live in a city where a flag raising actually happens," said Skidmore, who also participated in the city's massive World Pride parade on Sunday. "There are cities in this province that don't actually do flag raising and they don't acknowledge Pride in any particular way."
It's a significant event for the whole community, agreed Mayor Shari Green on Wednesday afternoon, before reading out the proclamation declaring July 2 to 6 as Pride Week in the city of Prince George.
"I think it is important, as Sussanne highlighted, that we are a community that appreciates diversity, celebrates it," said Green.
There are four days of activities to celebrate Pride this year, starting with tonight's Cosmic Pride bowling night at Black Diamond bowling lanes from 6 to 9 p.m. On Friday night, beginning at 7 p.m., is the How Rude drag show in the Ramada Hotel ballroom.
The centrepiece of Pride Week is Saturday's parade, which Pride Prince George past president Valentine Crawford said will feature roughly 30 different groups.
The 18th annual parade starts at 11 a.m. at city hall and winds its way through downtown streets. The city hall lawn will also be the venue for the Pride Festival between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. with food, live entertainment and vendors.
Leading this year's parade as grand marshals are Barry Williams and Michael Pockett, local business owners and partners who Crawford said have been lending a hand for 14 years.
"And they're kind of one of those last legacy pillars of the movement," he said. There have been other couples leading the parade in the past, such as that have stood at the forefront of the political movement, like Theresa Healy and Wendy Young.
"We haven't had the successful business, the successful behind-the-scenes work celebrated at the forefront of the parade," said Crawford. "And really that's what legacy is - it's that last final piece of that generation and that paving of what they've done for us and my generation to move forward, to be successful and to be open and honest and true to ourselves and our families."
Pride festivities continue after the parade with the Pride Celebration Party at the Ramada Hotel on Saturday night beginning at 8 p.m. Everything wraps up with the Phoenix Brunch at 11:30 a.m. at the hotel and a Pride pool party at the Four Seasons Pool with free public swimming between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.
