It’s more than just a parade. As organizers of the annual Vancouver Pride Parade put it, it’s a celebration, a protest, and a party.
On August 5, the Pride Parade continued with its tradition of honouring diversity in its various forms.
As in the previous years, the Pinoy Pride Vancouver Society took its place in the event to “promote understanding, inclusiveness and acceptance in the community.”
“We also bring to light relevant issues that concern the LGBTQ community here and in the Philippines,” the group stated in a social media post.
For this year, Pinoy Pride Vancouver Society chose the theme "Water is Life" to align with clean water initiatives here in Canada and in the Philippines.
“Being you means to acknowledge that water forms a huge part of our natural environment,” the group explained. “To respect its life-giving benefits that allow us to live and thrive in the present. It is not discriminatory in terms of its natural flow. Its plentifulness, however, is constantly under threat.”
The group added: “By participating in this annual parade, Pinoy Pride Vancouver Society also celebrates the life-changing experience of being in a safe, welcoming and nurturing community that supports the call for equality and fair treatment to all living things and of nature --most especially the essence of water in our lives.”
As part of Pride initiatives and to support the LGBT community in the Philippines, the group is sponsoring the Vancouver premiere of filmmaker’s PJ Raval's latest feature documentary, Call Her Ganda, at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival on August 16 starting at 7 p.m. at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (149 West Hastings Street). There will be a special question-and-answer session following the screening. For tickets: https://www.goelevent.com/VQFF/e/CallHerGanda.
The film Call Her Ganda tells the story of Jennifer Laude, a Filipina transgender woman, who was murdered by a U.S. Marine.
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