Edmonton PrideFest is returning to the capital city for its 40th anniversary to celebrate and support the LGBTQ2S+ community.
PrideFest runs from August 17 to 24th, and many exciting events start on August 22 at Churchill Square.
The first event is Indigenous Pride on the 22nd, presented by Cedar T, representing the Indigi-Queens of Amiskwaciy Waskahikan, which means “Beaver Hills House” and is Edmonton’s traditional name.
To kick off Pride Month on June 1, Cedar T hosted Berry Burst.
This Indigenous Herstory Pride event featured Drag performances from new and veteran Indigi-Queens like Rosé Quartz and Plastika.
PrideFest gets even spicier on August 23 with a performance by everyone’s favourite internet celebrity, Liam Kyle Sullivan, better known as Kelly.
In real life, Liam is a professional editor, but Kelly is an icon.
You probably know Kelly from the viral YouTube video OMG Shoes, which features Kelly singing about…shoes.
Even after 17 years and almost 70 million views on YouTube, the catchy song is still wildly popular.
Get your dancing shoes ready for Kelly’s live performance of OMG Shoes on the 22nd!
Kelly will be a part of the Retro Retro, an 80s/90s-themed dance party that promises a fun-filled evening of nostalgia, with cash prizes for the best outfit and tallest hair.
On the 24th, attendees can enjoy a performance from Dragonette, a Canadian singer-songwriter best known for her song Hello featuring Martin Solveig.
Dragonette is Martina Sorbara’s stage name. Sorbara was originally part of an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005.
She performed alongside her husband, Dan Kurtz, and Joel Stouffer, the band’s bassist and producer. After Sorbara’s marriage with Kurtz ended, she decided to reclaim Dragonette as her own.
Dragonette has performed as an icon of independence and an ally of the LGBTQ2S+ community at many pride festivals across the United States and Canada.
Not Just A Celebration
Edmonton’s PrideFest celebrates the LGBTQ2S+ community while recognizing that much progress still needs to be made.
Pride takes on an even greater significance this year, according to Rob Browatzke, co-owner of Evolution Wonderlounge, an LGBTQ2S+ bar in Edmonton. The urgency and significance of the event are palpable.
“We need to come together as a community. We need to stand up. We need to celebrate, but we do need to remember that Pride, even in Edmonton, has its roots as a protest,” Browatzke told Global News, emphasizing the sense of belonging and togetherness in the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Browatzke claims that Pride is about more than rainbows, dancing, and celebrating.
Pride is also about activism, protest, and standing up for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
“…sometimes, just the simple act of creating queer joy, of being a queer or trans person in the city and still celebrating, that is a political act,” said Browatzke.
Premier Danielle Smith’s government plans to introduce new rules that will negatively impact the LGBTQ2S+ community.
In January, Smith proposed a policy that requires parental consent for students 15 and under who want to change their pronouns at school.
Students aged 16 and 17 won’t need consent, but their parents must be notified.
The UCP government also announced plans to change parental consent for sexual education in schools.
The government plans to switch the current opt-out approach to an opt-in one, which has raised many eyebrows.
A 2020 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health examining three decades of research found that sexual education leads to lower sexually transmitted infection rates, fewer unintended pregnancies, better self-esteem, healthier relationships, and other benefits.
Switching to an opt-in approach that requires parental permission would mean fewer students receive important health education.
Outside of the classroom, Smith also plans to ban children 17 and under from gender-affirming surgery, with hormone treatment banned for those 15 and under.
A Call To Action
Smith’s proposed policies go directly against what the LGBTQ2S+ community stands for, which is why Pride is especially important this year.
“As premier of this province. I want every Albertan that identifies as transgender to know I care deeply about you, and I accept you as you are,” said Smith in a seven-minute video posted on X.
Smith claims that she accepts Albertans who identify as transgender, yet the UCP government’s proposed policies will essentially decide a person’s gender until they are 18.
In response to Smith’s proposed policies, 14 Alberta LGBTQ2S+ organizations have officially banned Smith and the UCP from 2024 Pride events.
Smith’s policies have upset many in the LGBTQ2S+ community, but the community’s spirit is anything but dampened.
“We want to protest but also show our radical trans joy that despite the policies, despite our parents kicking us out or other countries being very homophobic and transphobic, we are still living. We are still trans people who are here and we are not going anywhere,” said Adebayo Chris Katiiti, a transgender man and the founder of RaricaNow, an organization for LGBTQ2 refugees.
The UCP government’s proposed changes are expected to be made in the fall legislative session beginning on October 28.
There were almost 12,500 transgender and non-binary people aged 15 and older living in private households in Alberta, according to 2021 data provided by Statistics Canada.
This data shows that our province has the fourth-highest number of transgender and non-binary residents in Canada.
The agency’s data only includes the number of people who have come out, but what about the Albertans who are afraid or unsure about coming out?
Smith claims her policies are to prevent children from feeling regret for their decision to transition.
However, a Cornell University review found that only three percent of transgender people experience some form of regret, with only a small potion choosing to detransition.
In a survey of almost 30,000 people, almost 40 percent cited pressure from parents as one of the reasons they detransitioned.
Another 31 percent said harassment and discrimination were part of the reason they detransitioned.
Smith’s policies will change Alberta into a landscape that forces our province’s transgender children to fit in a box the UCP creates for them.
The number of incredible Albertans who support Pride events like Edmonton’s PrideFest demonstrates just how shortsighted the UCP government’s plans are.
