The Victoria Pride Parade’s 127 entries featured a wide variety of non-profits, unions, businesses and other organizations.
There was a festive mood on several street blocks off Douglas Street as it transformed into an impromptu block party pre-parade.
The Castaway Wanderers FC played an impromptu game of street rugby. On-duty paramedics jazzed up their bikes with rainbow streamers.
The provincial and federal New Democrats, the provincial and federal Greens, and the federal Liberals were among the political parties who participated.
Other participants included Congregation El-Emmanuel, four Greater Victoria United Churches, and an inclusive Christian group from the University of Victoria.
From first-timers to drag queens, politicians and people in dinosaur suits, here are some of those who marched in Sunday’s Pride parade.
First-time Pride attendee Karen Donna was looking for love. “I’m just hoping amongst the crowd of people here, I’m going to find that special lady to spend my life with,” she said, grinning.
Donna was raised in a “fundamentalist born-again Christian” environment, but had known that she was gay since she was young, she said. “There was no opportunity to come out. Some of my friends went through conversion therapy.”
After decades of being in the closet, she came out at the age of 49, moved to Victoria from Calgary, and started a hard rock cover band.
“I’m living an authentic life, finally,” she said.
Jhedi Bascos took to the streets on Sunday wearing patent leather boots, giant fluffy angel wings, and an elaborate beaded chestpiece as Gin Smith.
The drag queen, who was marching with the Filipino-Canadian Pride Vancouver Island Society, said he’s from a place with a long history of queer culture that has not always been accepted. He was feeling liberated in being able to celebrate his identity openly in Canada.
“From North to South, we’re all gays,” he said.
With the majority of the Eves of Destruction members being “on some part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ spectrum,” Sloane ‘PunishMint!’ Chomeakwich said the parade features nearly every member of the roller derby league in the city.
Around 80 members and affiliates in skates performed rollerskate tricks while they cruised along the route.
Chomeakwich said “it’s more important now more than ever” for sports organizations to show that they are inclusive, given the wave of transgender athlete bans sweeping across the U.S.
There’s also an upside for the league’s presence at Pride events, they said.
“It’s honestly a great time to recruit new skaters.”
