2016 Belleville Pride Parade. (Quinte News file photo: Michael J. Brethour)
Belleville’s annual Pride Parade is set to take place on Saturday June 10 and will celebrate legal equality achievements while recognizing there is still more work to be done locally and abroad.
Pride Week gets underway throughout the Quinte region this weekend with many events from Sunday June 4 to Saturday June 10 aimed at uniting and empowering people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
2017 Belleville Pride Co-Chair Gilles Charette invites everyone to come to the Pride Pump dance on Saturday June 3 and an Interfaith Pride service on Sunday June 4.
Of those achievements being recognized are the efforts by the LGBTQ2 community to reach equality through Canadian law but again Charette hit the point home there is still more that needs to be done.
Recently Quinte West joined Belleville and Prince Edward County in proclaiming June 4 to 10 as National Pride Week. All three municipalities have committed to flying a rainbow flag in support of the LGBTQ2 community.
A very thankful Charette said the support has been fantastic and admitted he thinks it has been there for quite sometime.
“I think that where things are different is when you make that support explicit,” said Charette. “Traditionally the LGBTQ2 community has felt “othered.” When you say for example ‘everyone is welcome.’ Sometimes the LGBTQ2 community doesn’t feel like they’re a part of that ‘everyone’ and so sometimes an explicit welcome is what we need to feel like we are a part of that ‘everyone.’
The week-long event schedule gets underway on Saturday June 3 with Pride Pump – A pre-pride dance and party featuring a drag show at the BellePub from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. The interfaith service at St. Thomas Anglican Church is June 4 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Wednesday June 7 there is a Men’s only sexual health clinic at the Hastings and Prince Edward Health Unit from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday June 7, the County Canteen in Picton is hosting Queer Karaoke from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Belleville Pride Parade and Pride in the Park on June 10 will get underway at the Empire Square parking lot at noon and make its way to West Zwick’s Park for a day of activities. The Lions Pavilion at West Zwick’s Park will be transformed into an outdoor nightclub for Belleville Pride’s official dance party called Pride after Dark. On Sunday June 11 the Rose Hall Run is hosting Bubbles and Brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For full details on visit http://bellevillepride.ca or their Facebook Page.
