Vancouver Pride Society

I am a little sad. Vancouver Pride continues to do a wonderful job at what it has been traditionally best at, yet fails dramatically in one area particularly: For this, I give five stars. For this reason, I've averaged it to three stars. Why one star? It's exclusion and marginalization of the elders of the LGBTQ community. Once again, there was but one insignificant nod to elder LGBTQ people. An event was held on JULY 17, poorly advertised at that, well away from the days and locations of every other Pride event. Why, I ask, is not the event embraced within the parameters of Pride Week itself? Why a week earlier, on a Monday? Older LGBTQ people have been largely invisible in the community since forever. The youth-centric community seems to have little place and use for older folks, and the isolation from the broader community has been an open issue for decades. Pride could be an opportunity to counter this, to fold elders into the larger community, to foster the sharing of the history and experience of LGBTQ people at ALL life stages, and not merely tucked-away spaces for old people to tell each other their stories. We are close to realizing the goal so many have fought for: a Canadian community in which the only real difference between queer and non-queer people is our affectional orientations. As more and more LGBTQ people live lives once denied the majority of us, lives with children, and grand-children, of being part of a neighbourhood that has moved beyond gay-ghettos, including all people is increasingly needful. Shame, Pride. In your haste to be little more than a party catering to little more than a small window of people's lives, you COULD have been a space, place and time to bring ALL of us together. I invite Pride to contact me and discuss this. I am very interested in what they plan to do to change this for Pride 2027.

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The society is terribly run and disorganized. They are very disrespectful towards community partnerships and lack any accountability or leadership. While their mission statement promotes “strengthening the sense of togetherness”, they do the opposite.

Over a period, vulgarity has now reduced in these Pride parades. The message is now about inclusivity and most corporate and multi national companies took part underlining that there is no discrimination based on gender or sexuality exists in our company, which is a good message.

This was my first Pride Parade, and it was fabulous! I arrived an hour early and got a spot right on the curb with my mobility scooter, from which I watched the entire parade. Would definitely attend again!

Great Society! Love what they do! Much appreciate their work/services.