PRIDE WEEK
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REGINA PRIDE WEEK 2021 JUNE 4-13 2021
“You are Loved”: Queen City Pride Festival connects community
BY MICHELE TYNDALL
How do you get a crowd together when COVID says you literally cannot “crowd together”? How can you raise sorely needed funds for nonprofit and charitable organizations when their meeting places are closed? How do you provide safe spaces while maintaining safe space? In Regina and throughout the province, the 2SLGBTQ+ community has risen to the challenge and discovered innovative new ways to be visible, raise funds and help one another during the pandemic. Celebrating the theme “You Are Loved,” this year’s Queen City Pride festival is a “hybrid festival”, combining virtual events with in-person activities to make this year’s pride accessible to everyone while still adhering to Saskatchewan Health Authority protocols for COVID. “The challenge is not really knowing what technical things we’ll be expected to use or have when it comes to all the virtual events. We’ve done streaming events in the past, but we’d like to see it be a cleaner event and easier to access,” said Dan Shier, cochair of Queen City Pride. The annual Queen City Pride Parade is the signature event of the festival and every year it has grown to become one of Regina’s most recognizable parades, celebrating diversity and pride while continuing to bring recognition to the issues still facing the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Marching together is
symbolic of the Pride movement. So how does that happen with gathering restrictions still in place? The 2021 Hybrid parade allows for 30 vehicle entries for a physical presence on the streets of Regina, and Queen City Pride is augmenting that with a virtual parade, where everyone can submit video clips to be played during the parade, giving the whole community a chance to be involved. The internet is playing a pivotal role in how the community connects this year. When restrictions closed Q Nightclub and Lounge, the 2SLGBTQ+ community center, many organizations that used the space for meetings and fundraising ventures had to become more creative in how they contacted members, promoted their organizations, and did their fundraising. “The COVID challenges have brought even more value to our partnerships. We must rely on one another for success. Without other organizations working with us, we couldn’t do what we do at the level we’re doing it,” said Scott Dack/Scooter DownLo, current Emperor of the Court of Regal Association of Regina (RSAR). Organizations such as Lulu’s Lodge, Regina’s first home for LGBTQ+ youth and Carmichael Outreach rely on donations from the community to carry out their important initiatives, and new tools were needed to make sure they could still succeed. “We had to start doing
The Pride Flag will be raised at Regina City Hall on Friday, June 4 at 9 a.m. Pictured here, city officials and Dan Shire, co-chair of Regina Pride, participate in the 2020 Pride flag raising ceremony. PH O T O : PO ST M ED IA /BR AND O N H AR DER
things differently, and maybe not always in a monetary way. Things like our sock drive this winter or the food bank items we collected this spring. We still could give back to our community,” said Nathan Holten/Delorass Bin, current Duchess of the Court of Regina/RSAR. New terms are now the norm for many organizations: Zoom, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Live. The ability to come together digitally, and then to reach out to other groups in other towns, cities and beyond, has created new opportunities for expression and creativity along with the ability to raise both funds and awareness. “COVID threw us into the digital world, and we had to
learn about things like software and video editing. We had to learn fast or drown and we hopped in that boat real fast. By doing that, our organization stayed relevant, and we’ve been influential throughout North America. Our shows have set a benchmark for virtual shows. But then, rather than let the people around us drown, we shared what we learned and helped other groups do the same thing,” said Josh Halvorsen/Olive Pitt, current Princess of the Court of Regina/RSAR. Pride is a time to connect and celebrate our diverse community. With COVID, so many of us are feeling disconnected and isolated, and with the virtual work being done for this year’s festival
The annual Queen City Pride Parade is the signature event of the festival and every year it has grown to become one of Regina’s most recognizable parades. This year’s parade takes place on Saturday, June 12 from 12 noon to 2 p.m., and can be viewed on Facebook. Spectators are asked to follow Saskatchewan Health Authority COVID protocols if watching the parade in person. PHOTO: RE GINA PRIDE/A LLA N HA LL
and beyond, we are making it possible for people and organizations to come together, work together and thrive. “Rural members of our communities who can’t always come into Regina can now still feel a part of their community that they can’t be with in person,” said Mark Hiibner/Joycelynn Barr Starr, current Empress of the Court of Regina/RSAR. The innovative digital work of the organizations in the 2SLGBTQ+ community was a way to maintain visibility during the pandemic. But it has done so much more than that. By reaching out in new ways, the community has been able to show young people that they have an entire community that loves them, and allies that support them. A sense
of normalcy was brought to the community with a return of drag shows on YouTube. Fundraising efforts can continue with simple etransfers. And the creativity, already so prevalent in the community, is expanding all the time. “We’ve definitely had a lot of folks reaching out to ask things like, how do I do crosswalks? How do I engage? How do I host an event? It definitely feels like a lot of folks are active and stuff is buzzing despite all the walls keeping us apart,” said Shier. Discover everything that’s happening for Pride 2021 at https://queencitypride. ca/pride-2021/. COVID-19 Guidelines for Pride 2021 can be found at: https://qcpri.de/covid-19-policies.
During pandemic Pride is more important than ever BY MICHELE TYNDALL
Pride is not just a celebration of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Pride is a riot of colour or a riot against injustice. Pride is a thank you to supportive friends and family, or a protest against discrimination. Pride is a victory march or a dance of joy. “Pride commemorations have always changed and adapted in order to respond to the time and place they exist in. Whether they have been defiant marches in the face of criminalization and state violence, whether they have been vibrant celebrations that everyone in a city
is clambering to be a part of, and anywhere in between, taking time to demonstrate Pride in who we are, in the face of those who would tell us to be ashamed instead, will always be important,” said David Richards, Queen City Pride board member. The 2021 Queen City Pride festival is being called a hybrid event this year. The COVID pandemic, when health and safety measures have isolated so many LGBTQ+ people from their support groups, has made finding ways to be visible a challenge, but one that is vital to the community. “Pride is about solidarity,
community, and support and this is more important than ever during the pandemic. Pride offers a place to see allies and parents showing up for our LGBTQ youth who are not supported at home. It provides visibility and unity for many youth who have faced family rejection or are living in homes that are not affirming,” said Tanna Wright Young, coordinator for Lulu’s Lodge. This is not the first pandemic that has affected the LGBTQ+ community. Pride and visibility were absolutely essential during the AIDS epidemic as the community
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The theme of this year’s Queen City Pride Festival is “You Are Loved”. It is a bold message that can close the distances that already exist between us, and that the pandemic has magnified. Pictured here, Amnesty International’s entry in last year’s Queen City Pride Parade. RE GINA PR ID E/ AL L AN H AL L
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Your Regina NDP MLAs are proud to support Queen City
Aleana Young Regina University 306.545.0300
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PRIDE WEEK
REGINA LEADER-POST
REGINA PRIDE WEEK 2021
U of R alum longlisted for prestigious 2021 Sobey Art Award BY ELSA JOHNST ON
“It was a huge shock. I didn’t really expect it. I felt like I was too early in my career,” U of R alum Nic Wilson (MFA’19) smiles, recalling the recent announcement that they had made the 2021 longlist for the prestigious Sobey Art Award for emerging artists. “I applied kind of thinking that it was like a trial run. As an artist, before you get a lot of things, like grants or shows, you have to apply quite a few times.” Wilson (he/they) is the first graduate of the University of Regina’s Master of Fine Arts program to make the Sobey’s list, in almost 20 years since the national award was first created. “I was delighted to nominate Nic Wilson for the Sobey Art Award 2021, and am thrilled that he has been selected for the longlist in the Prairies and the North region,” says Dr. Risa Horowitz, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Visual Arts in the Faculty of Media, Art and Performance at the U of R, who supervised Wilson’s MFA. “Nic’s work is rigorously cerebral, heart-achingly astute, and formally complex.” From New Brunswick, where they completed their Bachelor of Fine Arts, to Montreal and on to Regina, Wilson brings their rare ability to combine visual and performance art with a deep exploration of the world from globalization, to queer identity, to the construction of history. “In my work, I try to explore a shared sensibility or history about
Nic Wilson is gaining recognition for their rare ability to combine visual art with writing to explore the world—from globalization, to queer identity, to history. P H OT O: U NIVER SIT Y O F R E GINA
queerness which troubles how I was taught the gender binary growing up and the deeply puritanical relationship that exists to sexuality in general and to even pleasure,” says Wilson. “I find making work about queerness is always an exploration of pleasure and pain and how they’re almost like a helix, tied to each other in some way. I think a lot of the time I’m interested in the logic of heterosexuality, hetero patriarchy, and how those things come together.” To find out more about the 2021 Sobey Art Award longlist, visit the National Gallery of Canada. For more on Nic Wilson, visit their website or check out this great
overview of their work provided by the artist: Nic Wilson Artist Talk. The University of Regina has committed to creating a healthy campus community and learning environment in its 2020-25 strategic plan All Our Relations, or kahkiyaw kiwâhkomâkâninawak in Cree. Well-being and Belonging is one of the five areas of focus in the strategic plan, and includes objectives related to strengthening the University’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Healthy Living, and Mental Health Literacy and Research. This feature is a part of the University of Regina’s participation and support of Pride Week from June 4 to 13 and Pride Month in June.
CELEBRATING PRIDE WEEK
June 4-13
The University of Regina welcomes and celebrates people of all sexual orientations and gender expressions and works to be a campus free from discrimination.
Our pride is limitless. #YQRbelong
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looked to its own members for support when it was not forthcoming from health agencies. Pride celebrations raised awareness of those community members who were losing their health, forced changes to the health care system and created a safe space for survivors by providing hope in the face of overwhelming grief and loss. “This year has left a lot of folks distanced from the chosen family that may have been what gave them strength when a closet door was kicked open. For some, this year may have brought back the trauma of loved ones lost to a different pandemic 40 years ago,” said Richards. And as the colours of the rainbow flag grow to reflect the diversity within the community, so does the need to focus on that diversity, even if it means speaking from behind masks at a safe distance. Pride events give us the ability to learn from the past, to educate while we celebrate, and create a better future for everyone. “When we talk about the future of queerness, we often ignore the queer past that has always existed, including the legacy of colonialism and intergenerational trauma
that Indigenous Queers face every day. Pride is not just a celebration, for some of us, it’s a victory march. You couldn’t destroy us, we are still here,” said Tiberius, Brule-Bois, research assistant for TransSask Support Services. Visibility is often the key to tolerance, understanding and equality. It is the vital first step towards communication, to the sharing of stories and finding the common hopes and fears that we all share, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. “Pride is and will always be a movement towards equality. Being vocal and visible is a huge part of moving toward acceptance,” said Terry VanMackelberg, patron for Lulu’s Lodge. 2021 and COVID have presented unique challenges to the community, but the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ people remain the same. The theme of this year ’s Queen City Pride Festival is “You Are Loved”. It is a bold message that can close the distances that already exist between us, and that the pandemic has magnified. In a year that has seen illness, and restrictions, hate speech and love rallies and a quest to ban harmful practices to our people, “You are Loved” needs to be said, and it needs to be heard.
PRIDE WEEK
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REGINA PRIDE WEEK 2021 2021 Queen City Pride Festival: “You are Loved”
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
THURSDAY, JUNE 10
7:30 pm FRIDAY, JUNE 11 1:00 am Trans Artist Showcase & Dance Party Ariana Giroux, Twitch Live
THURSDAY, JUNE 3
1:00 pm Positive Space Webinar – Identity and Privilege UR Pride, Zoom Meeting/ Registration Required https://forms.gle/ix5S4CXSWNxBiCzWA
FRIDAY, JUNE 4 – SUNDAY, JUNE 13 QC Pride Online 50/50 https://pride5050.ca
FRIDAY, JUNE 4 – SUNDAY, JUNE 13
Queering the Creek AR Art Gallery QC Pride, Wascana Creek
FRIDAY, JUNE 4 – SUNDAY, JUNE 13
Pride Up Your Place Decorating Contest https://queencitypride.ca/prideup-your-place
FRIDAY, JUNE 4
FRIDAY, JUNE 11
The Queen City Pride Festival is a time for Regina’s 2SKGBTQIA+ community to connect and celebrate. This year’s “Hybrid” festival is full of events and activities that can be enjoyed in many different ways. P H OT O: R E GI NA PR I D E/AL L AN H AL L Pride RSAR, Virtual Show https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCS1Fgze3TLjUuDUqKA5v_SQ
SATURDAY, JUNE 5
9:00 am – 1:00 pm Queer Local Market City Square Plaza
12:00 am - 11:55 pm “Cured” Film Screening Queer Seniors of Saskatchewan, Livestream
7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Drag Me Across Saskatchewan Drive In Drag Show YXE Drag Collective, TBA
9:00 am Regina Pride Flag Raising QC Pride, Regina City Hall/ Livestream
SUNDAY, JUNE 6 – SUNDAY JUNE 13
1:00 pm Positive Space Webinar – Diverse Families UR Pride, Zoom Meeting/ Registration Required https://forms.gle/ix5S4CXSWNxBiCzWA
SUNDAY, JUNE 6
7:30 pm Kick Off Your Boots – A Kick Off To
Photo Scavenger Hunt QC Pride/Registration Required 9:30 am – 10:30 am Reconciling in Christ Service Bread of Life Lutheran Church, Facebook Live
10:30 am – 11:30 am Pride Sunday Sunset United church, livestream
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm BOP (Bi/Pan/Omni) Regina Picnic Maple Leaf Park 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Queer Improv Class Zoom Meeting/Registration Required 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm 2SQTBIPOC Discussion Panel QC Pride, Zoom Meeting 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm Drag Deliveries YQR https://www.facebook.com/ DragDeliveriesYQR
MONDAY, JUNE 7
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Jackbox Games with Maya Fantasee QC Pride, Twitch https://twitch. tv/QueenCityQ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Navigating Health Care for Trans and Gender Diverse People Regina Public Library, Zoom Meeting
From virtual events that can be enjoyed at home to in-person activities that people can participate in at their own pace, the 2021 Queen City Pride Festival is a unique mix of technology and real-world adventures. PHOTO: RE GINA PRIDE/A LLA N HA LL
TUESDAY, JUNE 8
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Queer Trivia Night QC Pride, Zoom Meeting/Registration Required
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Naloxone Training APSS, Zoom Meeting
THURSDAY, JUNE 10
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Youth & Seniors Mixed Virtual Potluck QC Pride, online/Registration Required 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Pride In Politics: A Discussion with Proud LGBTQ2S+ Politicians NDP of Saskatchewan, Zoom Meeting
SATURDAY, JUNE 12
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Queen City Pride Parade QC Pride, Live and Virtual https://www.facebook.com/ev ents/161703412572425?ref=ne wsfeed 3:30 pm Pride Anthems RSAR, Virtual All Ages Show https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCS1Fgze3TLjUuDUqKA5v_SQ
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Inclusive Language & Identity and privilege Exploration Regina Public Library, Zoom Meeting 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Regina Queer/Trans History Panel QC Pride, Zoom Meeting/Registration Required
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Regina Word Up Creative City Centre, Zoom Meeting/Webinar
From June 4 to 13, all Reginans are invited to celebrate Pride Week. PHOTO: RE GINA PRIDE/A LLA N HA LL
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (g)Ender Gallery: Pack the Pussy Minecraft Dance Party MacKenzie Art Gallery, Minecraft Server required
THURSDAY, JUNE 10
7:00 pm FRIDAY JUNE 11 10:00 pm “Finding Home” One Act Play Regina Little Theatre, Livestream
7:30 pm Musicals After Hours RSAR, Virtual Show https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCS1Fgze3TLjUuDUqKA5v_SQ 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm Click and Drag Digital Drag Show QC Pride, twitch/youtube
SUNDAY, JUNE 13
1:00 pm -3:00 pm Virtual Coffeehouse with Kathy & Jean QC Pride, Zoom Meeting More event details and registration information can be found at https://qcp2021.sched.com/
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