Concerns that led 2019 Pride parade to be canceled still unresolved: local LGBTQ2S+ group

A Pride parade will be held in Edmonton for the first time in seven years, but one group says it won't be inclusive enough. CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Ca

With the Edmonton Pride parade returning to city streets, one local LGBTQ2S+ group says it still has the same concerns that led to the cancellation of the event in 2019.

• Get the latest Edmonton updates right to your inbox

Adebayo Katiti with RaricaNow, a non-profit that houses BIPOC trans people and refugees, says he was surprised to hear the parade was coming back, alleging the parade isn’t fully inclusive.

In 2019, the parade was canceled over internal politics, including issues like allowing police and military to march.

Edmonton Police Service (EPS) told CTV News Edmonton it has not confirmed whether it will participate in the Pride parade this year or not.

“The society that ran the parade and festival completely dissolved, in part due to conversations within the community about how that parade should look, who should be involved, who should make those decisions and how that parade should be paid for,” said Rob Browatze with the Edmonton Queer History Project.

The festivities planned this year are being organized by a new group, Edmonton PrideFest Association, which took over in 2022.

A spokesperson for the organization says it was not involved in the decision to cancel the parade or the discussions with RaricaNow regarding their concerns of BIPOC involvement at Pride events.

Browatze says the city and the LGBTQ2S+ community has been missing the parade but the direction of Pride parades has changed from its origins.

“The origins of pride are in protest, so there’s a lot of concern and conversation around having something that is too focused on celebration and a party rather than that political protest,” Browatze told CTV News Edmonton.

‘We’ve been isolated’

That protest is what Katiti wants front and centre at the parade, specifically trans people and marginalized groups.

“We have issues that are happening in the community, it has to be a trans march. The other issue which still stands is the inclusion of safe spaces for people in Pride,” Katiti said.

He says having safe spaces for trans people is important to honour the history of the Pride parade and the political climate surrounding trans legislation in Alberta.

• Canadian doctors group challenging constitutionality of Alberta transgender law

Katiti says in order to have a fully-inclusive event, some non-negotiables for RaricaNow are food and security and no police or military presence in the parade.

As a trans man, Katiti says he’s been a personal victim of police brutality and many trans people have been arrested for having identification that doesn’t align with their gender identity.

EPS says while police will be at Pride events throughout the summer, as is typical for major events, the service is “committed to its ongoing work” to build a relationship with Edmonton’s LGBTQ2S+ community.

Some examples of community outreach include providing bias awareness training to officers, hosting a Chief’s Pride Breakfast on Sunday and raising the Pride flag at all EPS divisions for Pride week.

“We are still having such conversations, that you can find Pride organizing without Black trans people on them, without BIPOC trans people on board,” Katitit said.

‘Inclusive Pride for everyone’

Edmonton PrideFest Associations told CTV News Edmonton it hasn’t received a formal list of requests from RaricaNow for this year’s parade.

While it has an understanding about their concerns of police and military presence, they weren’t aware about concerns over food and security for trans attendees.

“RaricaNow was invited to participate in this year’s parade, including the opportunity to host RaricaNow-led initiatives at the parade site to support the trans refugee population in Edmonton,” said Megan Normandeau, a spokesperson for Edmonton PrideFest Association.

“We continue to await their decision and look forward to collaborating with them to create an inclusive Pride event for everyone.”

The association says it reached out to all queer-led organizations that it was aware of to invite them to participate in the parade and planning discussions, with 13 applications received so far.

As for who will be allowed to march in the parade, the association says parade applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with community members and local advocates to ensure the participants “embody the spirit of Pride.”

With the parade three months away, Katiti says there’s still time for the city’s LGBTQ2S+ community groups to come together and plan a festival and parade for everyone.

Browatze says looking at the history of the event, it’s possible to find solutions that work for everyone.

“Keep having the conversations, keep listening to, especially, the more marginalized voices in the community that have been historically misrepresented or underrepresented in the parade and Pride in general, and just keep those conversations happening.”

With files from CTV Edmonton’s Alex Antoneshyn