We had our first official Pride Week and Parade here in Fredericton last year. The week was amazing, with a proclamation being read by the Mayor and the Pride Flag being flown at City Hall. The Parade was even joined by a kayak on the beautiful St. John River along side of the ground marchers. The Rainbow Family group even marched with us. This year however the Fredericton Pride Week is being held together so far with duct tape and hopes and dreams. The budget is shot to hell, no proclamation sent into city hall, and a separate group trying to take it over.
This has gotten me thinking about what would happen to this city, which has the largest LGBTQ population per capita according to stats, if Pride week never happened this year. Would the LGBTQ population have a chance to celebrate their true colors? Would the heterosexual population have a chance to overcome their qualms about sharing a city with us? Would we have one more step to equality in this city? Our only gay bar is becoming more and more alternative, leaning more towards straight, and the battle for GSAs is becoming a losing one. However Pride week is the week for everyone to overcome the diversity and realize that we are all the same despite who love and how we identify ourselves.
