See: Pride Squamish unites community to support 2SLGBTQIA+ rights

It was all fun in the sun, and a milestone for Squamish’s Pride community this weekend as they made history with their first-ever parade downtown.

Those who identify as Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and other identities (2SLGBTQIA+) and their allies commemorated the parade’s inauguration with love and solidarity in Junction Park this Sunday, amid pop-fuelled, comedic performances at O’Siyam Pavilion.

Whilst drag queens and performance artists took the stage in front of an invigorated crowd, food vendors and local craft-makers from Create Makerspace were also on site, as well as fellow community support groups from in and around the Sea to Sky Corridor and Vancouver.

Members and allies of Pride Squamish, with the support of Squamish Arts, Downtown Squamish BIA, and the District of Squamish, made the parade on Cleveland Avenue, between Victoria and Main Streets at midday, marking a culmination of over a decade’s work in progress for the community members’ rights and visibility.

Pride marches began in 2018 by the advocacy group Safe n’ Sound, which evolved into Pride Squamish. This year, Pride Squamish worked to close Cleveland Avenue to traffic to make way for a colourful wave of floats and vehicles.

“There absolutely is going to be another one. 100% this is going to be an annual thing,” Squamish Pride president Trevor Wulff said of the parade.

Holding an inaugural parade and a celebration in Squamish marks how widespread support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is becoming, increasingly further from Vancouver, which has held Pride parades since 1978.

“I wanted to support Squamish’s new Pride because it’s important to show… love, integrity, and inclusivity. I’m so happy for Squamish to be getting this,” said Guy Dubé, who helped found the Pride parade in New Westminster in 2010.

Business owner and artist Bonnie Hammond, who upcycles jewellery from recycled materials at Bits and Keys, was also empathetic regarding the significance of the community’s inauguration.

“We’re up here because it’s about time Squamish got a Pride, and we’re super-excited about it,” she said.

Among the peer support groups at the event were Sea 2 Sky Allies, which promotes educational resources and community building through monthly meet-ups in Squamish, and SHER Vancouver, who provide counselling and peer services primarily for queer South Asians who may feel marginalized.

SHER outreach manager Karn Sachata elaborated on uniting intersectionality groups.

“[Our members] have not had much of a voice in the Queer community or in the South Asian community as a whole,” he said, “so it is important to bring them together and build [vibrancy] in a safe space.”

Pride Squamish looks to continue its work and celebrations in the years to come.

Ina Pace is The Squamish Chief's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) reporter.

This reporting was produced through the LJI, which supports original civic journalism across Canada.

*Please note, this story has been modified since it was first posted to include more local history.