 Chair Male Co-chair Female Co-chair Secretary Treasurer Other Non-Executive Roles Parade Co-ordinator Volunteer Co-ordinator Creative Co-ordinator Media Co-ordinator PEI Pride is part of the Abegweit Rainbow Collective Serving the Island's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgendered & Two-Spirited community. The History of Pride The evolution of Pride began when Gays, Lesbians, Bi-sexual and Transgender (GLBT) people and their supporters marched in a protest of being excluded for who they were. Through the years this protest has evolved from a protest to a parade of celebration and now is classified around the world as a festival. This festival has become a time of celebration, often spanning up to a week of events. The people of this country celebrate diversity with us whether gay or straight. Society has come a long way over the years with the equality of human rights, spousal hospital acts changed, and now allowing same sex marriages. We should all live in a country where everyone is treated with respect, dignity and equality. Our country should be proud to be a leader in this evolution. PEI Pride The goals of PEI Pride are to celebrate the diversity of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered & Two-Spirited community while fostering unity and strength in our community. At the same time, Pride aims to cultivate a stronger relationship between the GLBT and the larger community. Our goal is to promote a sense of community, while inviting the community at large to share in celebrating our cultural wealth and diversity. The Pride Committee is hard at work planning a year full of events with broad appeal to diverse communities. PEI Pride week annually attracts over 2000 participants and spectators from PEI and across Canada. It has proved to be popular for its comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. Our vision for the future of PEI Pride includes a broader regional and national appeal, internationally-recognized performers and building of a strong, long-term relationship with our partners. Articles and information about our festival have appeared in publications that were distributed throughout North America. As the Festival grows in scope, we expect to reach a larger local and national audience, while retaining the appeal of our small, idyllic Island. When PEI held its first Pride march we had approximately 50 people in the streets. We can now proudly say we have over 300 parade participants and almost 1000 Pride festival participants. Our parade spectators have increased to over 1000. It has become so much more than the GLBT community standing on the side lines, watching from afar for fear of personal safety, job insecurity, homophobia, bullying and gay bashing. The numbers have jumped significantly over the past couple years and we expect them to keep increasing as people discover our idealistic little island paradise. So as you can see, we are growing as a community. Our festival will keep getting bigger and one day we hope to be one of the top 5 festivals in PEI. Our events run for one full week in early July each year. In addition we provide opportunity over the year for dances, gatherings and a week of Winter Pride events in late February. Our events span the interest spectrum and highlight many different aspects of the Island life and culture. Included are sports events such as a golf tournament, bowling, and a 'Pitch for Pride' softball game. We also highlight social and spiritual events such as potlucks, church services, flag raisings, dances and sleigh rides. Many events help support local businesses such as coffee houses, pub crawls and volunteer appreciation parties. Fierte Canada Fierté Canada Pride is a Canadian not-for-profit incorporated organization dedicated to the networking, support and expansion of Pride events throughout Canada. This organization will bring together Pride groups from across our country allowing them to speak with one strong voice for arts and cultural funding, government initiatives, and equal rights issues. |
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