Nelson Pride ready to celebrate Pride Week
By Contributor
Shakespeare said ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’ Nelson Pride (formerly Kootenay Pride) is here to test that adage.
Nelson Pride is rebranding to reflect their updated area coverage. In the past, the organization has covered more of the region mostly because there weren’t any Pride organizations in nearby Creston, Kimberly, Cranbrook, Castlegar, or Trail but in the past number of years this has changed, as those towns have been able to create and grow robust Pride organizations that have hosted flag-raising, marches, conferences, and rainbow sidewalks.
Locally, Nelson Pride is an energetic group of volunteers who are working on numerous events for the Pride week which ends on the Labour Day long weekend when, historically, Pride has been celebrated locally.
The parade will be on Sunday, Sept 3rd, leaving from Wildflower (Central) School at 3 p.m. This year the committee is asking folks to register for the parade, this will help with organization and safety. Please email the committee at info@nelsonpride.ca.
The first Pride parade on Baker Street and banner happened in 1996. Since then the Pride organization has had several configurations and names. Many folks may remember the West Kootenay Gays and Lesbians; In the 80’s this changed to West Kootenay Lesbians and Gays (WKLG).
In 1990, it became West Kootenay Gays and Lesbians (WKGLS) in 1995 it transitioned into West Kootenay Gays and Lesbians Society (WKGLS), in 1997 West Kootenay Gays Lesbians and BiSexual (WKGLBS) which deregistered in 2001. Since then adhock Pride committees have formed annually to create events.
“We are excited that the communities around us have been able to create their own vibrant organizations and so now we are able to focus on creating safer spaces in Nelson and area,” said Michael Wicks.
The committee has also launched a new website (www.nelsonpride.ca) and social media (Facebook and Instagram) where the community is welcome to find lots of info and resources on how to get involved and support the local 2SLGBTQIA+community. All of the upcoming events will be listed there.
