Pride Fest celebrates loud and proud

By Justin Seward - Lethbridge Herald on June 27, 2023.

Herald photo by Justin Seward Participants walk along Stafford Drive South during the parade Saturday as part of the 15th annual Pride Fest.

Pride Fest celebrated its 15th year in Lethbridge over the weekend.

The Saturday events began with a pre-parade breakfast, followed by the parade that stretched from the Civic Centre Arena to Galt Gardens and participants showed the pride colours for 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Pride in the Park festivities and wrapped up with a Pride Dance at the Multicultural Centre.

“You know, so far the feeling is just phenomenal,” said Lane Sterr, Lethbridge Pride Fest Society president.

“I honestly don’t know how to like explain it every year. But just watching our community show up and louder and prouder, especially on our 15th year anniversary, is just incredible. I wish we could have more Pride parades throughout the year (from) just what we’re feeling today.”

Sterr said “absolutely it’s a milestone,” getting to 15 years.

“It’s incredible because Lethbridge Pride is fortunate that all of our board of directors, all of our executive staff and volunteers are volunteer, nobody gets paid,” he said.

“And so, to see year after year new people cycle in celebrating pride, finding ways to help our community is incredible because that’s not always a sustainable model. But making it here to 15 years is crazy, it’s wild.”

This year’s message was “Louder and Prouder Together.”

“And so, I think over the last year, we’ve seen a lot of anti-queer hate, anti-trans hate and it’s just so important right now that we as a board, as a community, as a society, we keep pushing forward. We keep being loud and proud because the minute that we silence ourselves, the minute that we stop talking, is the minute the oppressor wins. We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going anywhere.”

Emily Chong was in the parade as a part of Downtown Lethbridge.

“It’s important to us because we want downtown to be an inclusive community and this is the most inclusive event that we’ve got in Lethbridge and it’s just amazing to be a part of it,” said Chong.

Chong said it’s incredible, on the support the community is given the event.

“It’s gotten busier and busier as the morning’s gone on and I mean it’s great to see that the community is here to back up what it means to be here today.”

Ryland Moranz said it’s such a great experience to just show up and just get the blanket of inclusivity touched over you.

“Right from the outset, to show up and just see a group of people that you can just be yourself and you can be anyone here, as long as it’s a positive outward thing, and it’s who you are,” said Moranz.

“That’s what people want and to be able to show up and see other people living their lives and feel free to live your life that way, how do you put a value on that. It’s community as it should be.”