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S a t u r d a y, a u g u S t 2 9 , 2 0 2 0
regina Leader-PoSt
REGINA PRIDE WEEK 2020
LGBTQ2+ community responds to the challenges of 2020 BY MICHELE TYNDALL
The Queen City Pride Festival is one of the largest events in Regina, and draws visitors from across the province. This year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, things in Saskatchewan have changed dramatically. But Queen City Pride, and other LGBTQ2+ community groups, have risen to the challenge. ” I t h i n k t h e b i g ge s t challenge for the organization was having the energy and resources to pivot like everyone else. We already had a busy year with hosting a national conference at the start of the year so much of our festival planning had been a bit slower to start. In some ways, the pandemic gave us more time to plan, but in other ways the impact on everyone’s mental health and well-being I think created a fog that a lot of folks can relate with,” said Dan Shier, co-chair of Queen City Pride. Not wanting to cancel such an important event a s t h e P r i d e Fe s t i v a l outright, Queen City Pride elected to move events from the traditional month of June to the first week in September. And now they are working hard to ensure that all aspects of the festival are safe and follow the safety guidelines from the provincial health department. “We saw our fellow Prides moving to virtual events and creating amazing new content for their communities and we aim to do the same. One of our goals is to create events and activities that aren’t limited to a computer screen for their delivery,” said Shier. An example of this is the Queen City Pride Parade, the signature event of the Pride Festival. This year the parade is a car-based event, in compliance with the Saskatchewan Health Authority. There will be no walking groups this year, but everyone is invited to participate with their vehicles. “I think in the end, while the festival is smaller and is missing a lot of keystone pieces we all know and love, the creativity and new content that is happening in its place has a lot of value and shows the resilience of our communities during a time of uncertainty,” said Shier. Queen City Pride is not the only organization reevaluating how to serve the LGBTQ2+ community this year. “Clearly the safety of all our community is the most important thing without
The highlight of the 2020 Queen City Pride Festival will be the Pride Parade – Car Edition, taking place Saturday, September 5, starting at 12 noon. The parade route will extend through Regina’s downtown and Wascana Park. S U P P L I E D P H O T O
a doubt... we are following safety protocols to be able to provide the services we offer to the community now, but more importantly, we are looking at ways to continue to serve the community in the future. Every volunteer, visitor and member are vital to keep us going while we recover from the temporary closure, so that we are not forced to close our doors for good,” said Cory Oxelgren, president of the Gay and L esbian Community of Regina (GLCR). The GLCR currently operates Q Nightclub and Lounge, one of the last community-run social clubs for the LGBTQ2+ community in North America. Forced to close for over three months, the center was facing the grim prospect of closing permanently in the face of continued costs while not generating revenue. A Go-Fund Me page was produced in the hopes of rallying the community to aid in the recovery, and the response was overwhelming, with enough funds raised in the first 30 days to pay back past debt and move forward
with renovations that were temporarily on hold. “I’m so proud of the way our community rallied— volunteered, raised money— way more mone y than expected—to help us keep the doors open and recover from the closure. We will soon be celebrating 50 years of service to the community, and I look for ward to holding that celebration here at Q Nightclub and Lounge,” said Oxelgren. For other groups whose main activities include o u t r e a c h, v o l u n t e e r i n g and personal engagement, the challenge of working during the pandemic seemed massive, but a little re-thinking has kept these groups engaged and even moving forward. “The biggest challenge that we’ve faced during this pandemic, with the Bread Basket Sisters, is the change in how we connect to our community. We focus on outreach, connecting with people on a personal level, and engagement through volunteerism. Without events happening in the community, and with the requirements to practice
social distancing, we’ve had to rethink the way that we reach people and help bring some joy to their lives,” said Sister Jenny Talia, cofounder of the Bread Basket Sisters. This organization moved online to spread their message of joy and carbs, and have found success.
“Being forced to rely on virtual meetings, online activities, and
using technology in a way we hadn’t been, we have discovered new ways to accomplish our mission. The internet can be filled with negativity and tragic news, so it’s been great to find ways to use this technology to give even a tiny reprieve from the gloom of isolation,” said Sister Talia. W h e t h e r i t ’s s o c i a l distancing to visit Q Nightclub and L ounge, learning more about R e g i n a ’s d ra g n u n s i n a virtual chat room or showing pride from the driver’s seat of the car, Regina’s L GBTQ2+ community is continuing to thrive in 2020.
For more information on these organizations and their events, follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/QueenCityPride/ www.facebook.com/glcrclub/ www.facebook.com/breadbasketsisters/
CELEBRATING PRIDE WEEK August 30-September 5
Regina Pride Inc. is a volunteer-based non-profit organization focused on outreach, community development, and celebration of the Gender and Sexually Diverse (GSD) communities of Regina through the Queen City Pride Festival and numerous other annual events. Pictured (clockwise) Dan Shier, co-chair; Lisa Phillipson, co-chair; Brendan Dickie, volunteer coordinator; Kiana James, secretary; Scott Stelmaschuk, member at large; Matthieu Berthiaume, member at large; Kim Frigon, member at large; David Richards, treasurer; Andie Bourque, sponsorship coordinator. SUPPLIED PHOTO
The University of Regina welcomes and celebrates people of all sexual orientations and gender expressions and works to be a space free from discrimination.
Our pride is limitless. #YQRbelong
THIS SECTION WAS CREATED BY CONTENT WORKS, POSTMEDIA’S COMMERCIAL CONTENT DIVISION.
SGEU, led by our Human Rights and Equity Committee, proudly celebrate the contributions of our sexually and gender diverse members. We’re dedicted to the fight against hate and discrimination in our communities and workplaces. Inclusivity makes us stronger.
Happy 2SLGBTQIAP+ Pride Week
S a t u r d a y, a u g u S t 2 9 , 2 0 2 0
regina Leader-PoSt
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REGINA PRIDE WEEK 2020
Regina’s Bread Basket Sisters: Live, Laugh, Loaf BY MICHELE TYNDALL
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence® are an Order of queer and trans nuns with houses and missions all over the globe. Since 1979, the Sisters have devoted themselves to community service and outreach, while promoting respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment. They use their irreverent humor to expose bigotry, fight complacency and banish guilt. And now they have a new house in Regina. With a mission statement that includes promoting radical diversity, shattering stereotypes, and spreading love, joy, peace and carbs, The Bread Basket Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are making a difference in the LGBTQ2+ community. The Bread Basket Sisters were started in June 2017, when one of the founding members met sisters from another house. “We had met a couple members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from Vancouver and saw the fun they had, and learned more about the work they do. It was clear this was something that Regina’s queer community needed,” said Sister Jenny Talia, co-
founder of the Bread Basket Sisters. The name was chosen almost immediately to be representative of the rural location and farming roots of Saskatchewan. And the work began, with members promoting diversity and providing manpower for organizations in need. “We are a good fit here, as generally people in our area are fairly tolerant. And it’s something new for our province. The Sisters’ look is something that grabs attention, and forces people to ask questions, and once they asked these questions they find out that it’s all about fun and community and joy,” said Sister Demona Lisa. For the last three years,
The Bread Basket Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have been promoting diversity and providing support to Regina’s LGBTQ2+ community for the past three years. S U P P L I E D
the Bread Basket Sisters have been volunteering throughout Regina, showing up (or as the Sisters say: ‘manifesting’) to do things like distributing condoms, hosting events such as bingos, movies and live shows, and offering “glitter blessings” and baked goods at other events. After establishing themselves within the c o m m u n i ty, t h e B r e a d
Basket Sisters petitioned the national organization to become the first professed house in Saskatchewan. “ We are able to use the copyright ‘Sisters of Pe r p e t u a l In d u l g e n c e’, which comes with over 40 years of reputation in the global queer community. We are officially recognized by the council that oversees the chapters in North America and it proves that we are a
Queen City Pride Festival 2020 Calendar of Events AUG. 20—SEPT. 5:
SEPT. 1:
“Show Your Pride” business decorating contest queencitypride.ca/ show-your-pride/
7 p.m. Queer Trivia Night Virtual Event
Pride 50/50 Online Pride Raffle pride5050.ca
6 p.m.—8 p.m. 2SLGBTQ+ Talk Back for Teachers Panel
SEPT. 6:
2 p.m. Pride Rainbow Movies featuring The Lorax Rainbow Cinemas
SEPT. 2:
7 p.m. Pride Rainbow Movies featuring Juno Rainbow Cinemas
8 p.m. The SweetNSticky Show (19+) The Cure Kitchen and Bar
SEPT. 19:
11 a.m.—2 p.m. The Amazing Race Against HIV - “Stay at Home Edition” Facebook
SEPT. 4:
9 a.m.—1 p.m. Queer Local Market City Square Plaza
Midnight Pride at the Drive-In Concert Conexus Arts Centre Parking Lot
AUG. 30:
SEPT. 5:
AUG. 29:
3 p.m.—6 p.m. Dungeons & DRAGons Facebook
5 p.m. The SweetNSticky Show (all ages) The Cure Kitchen and Bar
SEPT. 26:
Kween City featuring Boa from Canada’s Drag Race Warehouse Brewing Company
12 p.m.—2 p.m. Queen City Pride Parade Car Edition 7 p.m. & 9 p.m.
AUG. 30—SEPT. 5:
Pride Scavenger Hunt queencitypride.ca
Click & Drag: Digital Drag Show (all ages) twitch.tv/queencitypride 10 p.m.
AUG. 31:
9 a.m. City Hall Flag Raising Regina City Hall
Welcome Back Drag Show Q Nightclub & Lounge
Enjoy the Festival! cooperators.ca Life • Auto Home Business Travel Group Auto & Home Comprehensive Water Investment Group Benefits Group Retirements
vital part of our community,” said Sister Jenny Talia. The Bread Basket Sisters are always interested making new friends. “New members just need to contact us and we can meet with them. We are
about humour, freedom of expression and community service so we make sure that the person’s values are in line with our organization through that informal ‘get to know you’ period,” said Sister Jenny Talia.
Find out more at breadbasketsisters.wixsite.com/breadbasketsisters or follow them on Facebook.