The gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community on Prince Edward Island held its annual parade through the streets of Charlottetown Saturday. Approximately 100 people participated in the event that ended with a party at Confederation Landing Park. Pride Week ended on the weekend with a M.A.C. leather and dance party at MacMillan Hall at the University of Prince Edward Island.
Community shows its pride
Guardian photo by Brian McInnis
Gay
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- Karson
- - July 20th, 2010 at 15:41:00
yay me for being in the pic :)
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- cranky pants
- - July 20th, 2010 at 14:05:06
It was a lovely parade
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- Proud on PEI
- - July 19th, 2010 at 09:57:57
Gay pride events are very important and of course you hear a lot of people ask when is it 'straight pride' or 'when is our parade'? There are still so many advantages to being straight, that until there is equality, events are important for awareness. For example: Heterosexual people have access to a number of social and legal benefits that may or may not be available to gay and bisexual people, depending on the laws of their local area. These include: * The ability to attend school without receiving physical harassment or grade discrimination based solely on sexual orientation. Ability to attend proms and other social dances with one's partner of choice. * Ability to have sex with a consensual adult in the privacy of one's home within or outside the bounds of marriage without being arrested for it, serving time in jail, paying a fine, being forced to take inappropriate gender-based hormones, or being put to death. * The chance to seek and retain employment and housing, purchase goods and services, and join clubs and social organisations without receiving refusals based solely on sexual orientation. The ability when employed to get joint medical insurance for one's spouse and their children. * The ability to join the military to defend one's country, and to serve without needing to lie about one's personal life. The right during and after service to receive advantages agreed upon during enlistment such as educational benefits, veterans benefits, and so forth. * The legal right to get married. Plus social approval for marrying and staying married. (This is changing) * The ability to attain citizenship in a foreign country upon one's marriage to a loved one from that country. * The assumption that a child born to one married partner belongs to both partners. Also, the ability to adopt a child from the state, or to adopt a child from your partner's previous relationship. * Incontestable rights to property without a will in instances where one marriage partner dies. The ability to file taxes jointly, hold joint bank accounts, get joint credit, and to share a mortgage or sign a joint lease without hassle. * The right to a court hearing during divorce and/or child custody disputes. * The right to hospital visitations in case a partner gets ill, and the right to determine their care in case of incapacitation. * Assumed right to arrange and attend the burial of a loved one when they die. Social condolences over the loss of a loved one. * Ability after a spouse dies to receive their retirement, pension, veteran and other benefits as their widow or widower.
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- To REALLY THO
- - July 19th, 2010 at 09:57:10
To respond to your comment: The Pride Parade, and Pride week itself, isn't a celebration of being gay. It's a celebration of equality and of taking pride in being yourself. It's as much of a celebration of "straigtness" as it is of "gayness," and there were many people in the parade and showing their support on the sidewalks who are not gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. For some reason, The Guardian decided to label the photo simply as "Gay" instead of making reference to the fact that the float pictured is one that is entered every year by the Town of Stratford and the Stratford Youth Can-Do youth organization. However, the parade is meant to be branded as a Pride Parade during Pride Week and everyone (gay or otherwise) is invited to take part and have fun. Celebrate and love who you are - no matter your gender, race, sexuality, age...
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- Really tho
- - July 19th, 2010 at 09:40:52
Anybody want to have a parade next weekend for those of us that are straight?? I don't care that your gay-but you don't need a parade to tell everyone
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- Parade leader
- - July 19th, 2010 at 08:19:10
It's nice to see Whitey out and about!
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- Emmalene Aubrey
- - July 19th, 2010 at 08:17:18
I'm looking into re-locating to this area. Articles and comments like this really boost my enthusiasm! =D Especially since I'm comming from the mid-western United States.
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- Trevor John
- - July 18th, 2010 at 15:21:08
Charlottetown's PRIDE is that we among the gay community are as accepted and welcomed as we are. We do not fear for the safety and livelihoods of ourselves and the ones we love as many still do in the world. That is a reflection of our majority (straight) community and is something for us to celebrate as a source of pride for ALL Islanders. Gay Pride is straight pride too - that we have come so far in accepting ourselves and each other.
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- GD
- - July 18th, 2010 at 22:58:16
Well Said Trevor John! I was at the closing dance and am proud to say as Volunteer with ARCPEI it was an amazing time and the people there were there only to have fun.
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- Matt
- - July 18th, 2010 at 15:19:44
Haha what a good looking bunch of gays!! Love yas ;D Jealous I couldn't make it.
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- mel
- - July 17th, 2010 at 21:51:47
Jackie, perhaps you should say.....Hope Everyone Had a Gay Time.
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- Jackie
- - July 17th, 2010 at 16:42:58
Nice day for it. Hope everyone has a good time !
With all due respect, before you go bashing and mocking other people for their way of celebrating their freedom to live after decades of fighting... i would suggest getting educated on the subject. Gays have fought a lot longer than you would ever believe just to be able to have a job and live their lives. not until 4 years ago, could we even get married. You can and now we can.