About 1,000 people march in Vancouver to celebrate trans pride - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 02:53 AM | Calgary | -2.2°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
British Columbia

About 1,000 people march in Vancouver to celebrate trans pride

The large crowd first gathered at Clark Park near Commercial Drive with signs, flags and drums before heading to Victoria Park. Organizers say this years Vancouver Trans Pride March is both a celebration and fight for their rights, as anti-trans policies and violence continue to grow worldwide.

Organizers say this years Vancouver Trans Pride March is both a celebration and fight for their rights

Vancouver march promotes trans pride

1 month ago
Duration 1:39
Around 1,000 people marched in Vancouver Friday, to celebrate the transgender, Two Spirit, genderqueer, and intersex communities. Organizers say this years Vancouver Trans Pride March is both a celebration and fight for their rights, as anti-trans policies and violence continue to grow worldwide.

About 1,000 people marched in Vancouver Friday to celebrate the transgender, Two Spirit, genderqueer, and intersex communities.

The large crowd first gathered at Clark Park near Commercial Drive with signs, flags and drums before heading to Victoria Park. Organizers say this year's Vancouver Trans Pride March is both a celebration and fight for their rights, as anti-trans policies and violence continue to grow worldwide.

"For me, it's an opportunity for Pride to be a protest again," said River Pengelly, who is part of the march's organizing collective.

A person standing in front of a CBC microphone
River Pengelly is part of the collective that organized the Vancouver Trans Pride March. (Ryan McLeod/CBC)

According to her, the march has a long history in Vancouver, though it has taken different forms and iterations over the years. It is also a grassroot effort that is separate from the Vancouver Pride Society, whose Pride Parade will take place Sunday.

Pengelly, who is a non-binary transfeminine person, said anti-trans rhetoric and actions are not just becoming more prevalent inthe U.S., but also in Canada.

Vancouver Pride Trans March's attendees walked through a street near Commercial Drive, raising a flag.
Vancouver Pride Trans March's attendees walked through a street near Commercial Drive. (Ryan McLeod/CBC)

Earlier this year, Canada's intelligence agency warned that extremists could "inspire and encourage" serious violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community. The warning comes as provincial policies on gender-affirming surgeries and pronoun preferences are being hotly debated across the country.

As a result, Pengelly said the 2SLGBTQI+ community and allies need to keep showing up for each other in large and small ways, from respecting each other's pronounsand attending ralliesto paying attention to local elections and political bodies like school boards.

"There are a lot of opportunities for the community outside of people who are here today, outside of people who identify as trans themselves, to step up and to be supportive every day," she said.

Pengelly added that transphobia can harm cisgender people, pointing to the controversy surrounding the Imane Khelif. The Algerian boxer is assigned female at birth, but has recently faced intense scrutiny over her gender at the Olympics.

WATCH | IOC defends two female boxers over gender eligibility outcry:

IOC defends two female boxers over gender eligibility outcry

1 month ago
Duration 2:15
The IOC is defending two female boxers at the heart of an ongoing gender controversy. Taiwans Lin Yu-ting and Algerias Imane Khelif were previously disqualified from a tournament after reportedly failing a gender eligibility test, but the IOC says both meet Olympic criteria to compete in Paris.

Danny Metcalfe said he felt seen standing in Clark Park with other attendees. The 30-year-old trans man said he started his transition earlier this year, so the march was his first Pride event.

"It's really cool and beautiful to see everyone gather here for love and acceptance of each other," he said.

"It's weird to reinvent yourselves at 30. It's harder than I thought it would be It's like there's a grieving process."

A man wearing a cap and black hoodie standing in a park
Danny Metcalfe, who started his transition earlier this year, said the march was his first Pride event. (Ryan McLeod/CBC)

Metcalfe added that he is also drawn to the march's focus on activism.

"It's less about me and it's more about other people," he said. "That's where my strength comes from."

With files from Catharine Tunney