History of Stonewall Canada

On June 9th 2018 (Edmonton) on the parade route at Whyte Avenue and 104 Street.  coalition of black transgender, queer people of color  protesters blocked the Edmonton Pride Parade after a call for the Edmonton Pride Festival Society (EPFS) to uninvite police and military participation was denied, the parade on Whyte avenue came to a halt when protesters stopped the festivities calling for EPFS to restructure it’s board as well as staff hiring practices to include more representation from People of Colour as well as from the Trans community and that official pride spaces acknowledge the event's history as a demonstration against police oppression.Police, military to be blocked from future parades after protesters interrupt Edmonton Pride Festival march Despite the EPFS public agreement to meet these demands, they did not follow through. Rather EPFS restricted access & called police on the QT-BIPOC community who arrived to show support at the EPFS community meeting on April 4th, 2019. Citing the “current political and social environment” as the reasoning, organizers cancelled 2019’s Edmonton Pride Festival. 

On April 4th, 2019 (Edmonton) -Edmonton Pride Festival Society locked out and deployed police against 2SLGBTQ+ community members & stakeholders at meeting where they invited their members and stakeholders to a meeting at McKernan Community Hall for the purpose of voting on demands made by racialized 2SLGBTQ+ community members following the halting of the Pride Parade in 2018 to protest the presence of Police participation in the festival. Shades of Colour and RARICA Now were invited to this meeting by the EPFS after participating in frequent meetings with the EPFS board since July 2018 and the EPFS amounting to not much progress toward building rapport with QTBIPOC members of the community. Upon arriving at the hall, EPFS board members and security that they had hired barred community members and invited stakeholders from entering the meeting, citing capacity issues. There was no communication or transparency about the voting process to Edmonton collectives such as Shades of Colour, Raricanow (who support QTBIPOC folks and LGBTQ2S+ refugees) and the broader queer community who attended to show their support. However, the issue remains that there are policies within the framework of EPFS that are making it inaccessible for these diverse communities to even sit at the same table

After leaving these community members and invited stakeholders waiting in the cold for over two hours, the EPFS board cancelled the meeting, and called Emergency Services citing “safety concerns of children”. Afterwards, the EPFS board reconvened to a location that was neither disclosed to the EPFS membership at large, nor the stakeholders who were originally invited to attend. Edmonton Pride Festival Cancelled After Organizers Call Police on People of Colour

Overtly racist behaviour as well as the lack of transparency and accountability the EPFS was willing to deploy the very institution that they are still under fire for fetishizing and defending at the expense of racialized and colonized members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. On the pride they themed Stonewall. (Black transgender ,Indigeonous and people of colour where stonewalled on the 50th anniversary of stonewall)  Appealing/Realistically that these outraged actions by the EPFS were committed this action upon immigrants and refugees that have already been persecuted, policed, and incarcerated as LGBTQ2S.Edmonton Pride’s Decision to Cancel All 2019 Pride Events is Horrifying

50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots 2019 - Despite the backlash and tensions amongst the LGBTQ2S+ community, the cancellation created opportunity for something different in so-called “Edmonton ''. In 2019, several festivities and celebrations took place in and around the Edmonton area including a grassroots led event on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots held at the Legislature grounds. This laid the foundation for the continued reclaiming of pride and the centring of QT- BIPOC voices in restoring the radical and anti-oppressive roots of the Queer liberation movement.  Events in the works to replace Pride festival, as controversy divides Edmonton’s LGBTQ community

In response to Edmonton Pride Festival Society cancelling 2019 festival, and on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, all sexual and gender diverse community members and 2SLGBTIQ+ allies were asked to gather and rally to call out queer organizations in this city for their continued negligence in spearheading our inclusion and advocacy.As QTBIPOC community continued to face uncertain times ahead with a United Conservative majority government. We gathered on june 28th 2019 to commemorate Stonewall, to celebrate our diverse community, for QTBlPOC community members and their allies, and for 2SLGBTQ+ people around the world. The event had Speakers representing intersections across our community who delivered radical speeches followed by 50 seconds of silence to honour all queer people who have fought and come before us and A candlelight vigil to honour and closed the ceremony followed by entertainment and community networking.

  lt's historically important to know that the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Edmonton Alberta was not the only efforts of Raricanow,but  it was an invigorating force for Shades of Color and the 2SLGBTIQ Community members and stakeholders, leading to the accountability conversations in the movements across canada How One LGBTQ Group Forged Ahead After Their City's Pride Was Cancelled