Thousands ‘transcend together’ in Winnipeg pride parade

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This article was published 02/06/2024 (491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Downtown Winnipeg was flooded with colour Sunday as thousands took to the streets in celebration of the city’s annual LGBTTQ+ pride parade.

“I’m elated, honestly, it’s the greatest joy of my life to see everyone just doing their thing, being themselves and getting along together,” said Dante Greenslade, who attended the event with her wife, Clover.

“The biggest thing for me is seeing just how many young people there are and how they feel comfortable. Just seeing that they get to be themselves and figure this stuff out in a safe space.”

The couple were among hundreds who lined Memorial Boulevard and Portage Avenue, cheering on the Pride procession as it made its way through downtown Winnipeg.

Participants dressed in every colour of the rainbow showed support for the event, which is part of the annual LGBTTQ+ cultural festival hosted by Pride Winnipeg.

Organizers chose the theme “Transcend Together” for this year’s festival, with the goal of celebrating people in the local transgender community while calling attention to the rise of discriminatory anti-trans rhetoric and legislation in Canada and abroad.

Greenslade, who was raised in rural Manitoba, said she once lived in fear of being open about her sexuality. While Sunday’s parade was a joyful celebration, it is also important to acknowledge the discrimination, repression and violence suffered by LGBTTQ+ people, she said.

“The fight is not over, we are here for a reason and this is not just silly and fun. We are still fighting for full freedoms,” she said.

‘Fired up and optimistic’: premier

The day’s festivities began at 10 a.m. with a rally on the steps of the Manitoba Legislative Building, where politicians, Indigenous dignitaries and leaders in Manitoba’s LGBTTQ+ community addressed the crowd. The event came just days after the province passed a bill to enshrine March 31 as Two-spirit and Transgender Day of Visibility.

Bill 208 was marked by a combative question period last week, with Progressive Conservative and NDP MLAs trading barbs as they debated the legislation.

While the bill passed with near unanimous support, four Tories voted against it in a move Premier Wab Kinew described as an “act of hate.”

Interim PC Leader Wayne Ewasko later accused the premier of being divisive by not respecting the vote of individual members.

On Sunday, Kinew reaffirmed his government’s commitment to supporting the trans community — and took another shot at the Opposition.

“There’s a lot of people who are trying to be really cynical politicians about this sort of thing, and on a day like today, it’s our chance to say no. This is about protecting kids, this is about making sure kids stay alive, stay in school, stay on a path toward a positive life,” he told reporters.

The premier expressed excitement over the large crowd gathered downtown.

“It just makes me fired up and optimistic for the kids today and the society that they are going to live in,” he said. “To see Manitobans send that message of hope means a lot.”

Protesters block parade route

The marchers and parade floats left Memorial Park at 11 a.m., heading northbound on Memorial Boulevard before turning east onto Portage Avenue. Several streets were closed to traffic in the area.

The parade continued uninterrupted until Fort Street, where a group of more than a dozen protesters blocked the eastbound lanes and halted the procession.

The group’s members, who carried a banner reading “No Pride in genocide,” issued a list of demands for the Pride Winnipeg — saying the event “began as a protest against police violence and the criminalization of queer and trans people” but has “strayed far from its revolutionary roots.”

The crowd was stalled for roughly a half hour as Pride Winnipeg officials negotiated with the protest organizers.

The protest group called on Pride Winnipeg to prohibit police from participating in the annual parade; refuse sponsorships from corporations that “fund or profit from the occupation of Palestine”; and issue a public statement of support for searching Winnipeg-area landfills for the remains of missing and murdered Indigenous people.

The protesters also demanded the festival be more inclusive for queer and trans people of colour.

“We want space for queer joy and safety, especially since attacks on queer, and trans people in particular, are currently on the rise,” said Chantale Garand, who spoke on behalf of the group.

“But we reject throwing a party in our name that’s funded by corporations profiting from ongoing genocides – it is offensive to our collective queer history. We honour that first brick thrown.”

The protesters agreed to clear the roadway and allow the parade to continue after Pride Winnipeg officials, including executive director Sean Irvine, signed a hastily written note agreeing to meet with protesters next week to discuss the demands.

“They were very receptive to hear what we had to say,” Garand said. “They agreed that all of these demands can be met and we will hold them to that.”

The protest was informally organized as a “collective of community members,” she said.

Pride Winnipeg did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.

The parade continued on to The Forks for a party marking the end of the Pride festival.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca