Members are encouraged to march with the union’s Human Rights Committee in the parade. Here’s how:
- Please send an email to: humanrightscommittee@aupe.org by June 8 if you're planning on marching with us.
- The committee’s truck and trailer will be decorated Saturday morning, on 80 Avenue between 109 Street and 107 Street. Look for entry number 44.
- All parade marchers must be there by 10 a.m. at the absolute latest and ready to march.
- All parade marchers must have a wristband, which they can get that day from AUPE Parade Captain, Jake Evans.
“Solidarity is the heart of Pride,” said AUPE vice-president and chair of the Human Rights Committee Karen Weiers. “The LGBTQ2+ community is diverse, and this year the Edmonton Pride Festival Society is celebrating this source of strength with the theme, Full Spectrum Pride.”
Before Pride was a parade, it was a protest that erupted against the New York State Police in 1969 after they raided the Stonewall Inn bar to arrest, harass and shame the same-sex couples and queer community who’d go there to socialize.
The Stonewall riots were largely mobilized by trans women of colour and are often seen as the beginning of the modern LGBTQ2+ liberation movement.
“The LGBTQ2+ community is at the helm of many social justice issues, and often, it’s the most underserved and overlooked members of the community who have been the most outspoken activists, fighting marginalization of all kinds,” adds Weiers.
“This Saturday, we want to reflect on the full history of Pride and share in the stories of the whole LGBTQ2+ community, whose voice has endured and continues to stand against forced silence and dismissal.”
Following the parade, there will be entertainment, exhibitors, food trucks, and fun activities for everyone at Strathcona Park.
AUPE’s Human Rights Committee will also march in the Lethbridge Pride Parade June 23 and has applied to march in Calgary’s Pride Parade on Sept. 2. Members interested in marching with the committee in those parades can email humanrightscommittee@aupe.org for more information.