AV俱乐部 showed how proud it feels of its diverse community at this year鈥檚 Halifax Pride Parade.
Dal鈥檚 contingency in this year鈥檚 parade was neither the biggest, nor the flashiest, but it certainly didn鈥檛 lack diversity or heart. With members of both the mainstream and radical pride communities at Dal marching in the group, there was a sense of true unity in the MOGII (Marginalized Orientations, Gender Identities, and Intersex) community at AV俱乐部.
One of the organizers for the AV俱乐部 group at this event was Elyssa Canning, who discussed the benefits of participating in the Pride Parade.
鈥淚t lets people know Dal supports it鈥檚 LGBT+ community and is dedicated to making safer spaces in the community,鈥� she said. She also expressed her gratitude that there was so much support and enthusiasm at the parade, evidenced by the streamers and bubbles drifting about in the AV俱乐部 section of the parade. Groups including the AV俱乐部 Commerce Society, DalOUT, South House, Dal Security, ResLife and others all had presence in the parade.
AV俱乐部 has a great set of resources for people in the LGBT+/MOGII community, yet they鈥檙e not always well known. 鈥淭he important thing is to show students that Dal has the resources the community needs: DalOut, DalAllies, Equity and Accessibility, and South House,鈥� said Brittany Long, president of DalOut.
Jude Ashburn, staff member at the South House Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre, also spoke to the need to continue to make improvements for the Dal community.
鈥淭he [community] still needs even more support: gender neutral washrooms, solidarity for marginalized international students and a great safe space鈥� said Ashburn, who added that the preferred name policy going into place this fall is a big step in the right direction.
Staff member Lisa Lachance joined into the festivities with her partner Heather Gass and their daughter Keira. Lachance, who is the executive director of the Children and Youth in a Challenging Context Network at AV俱乐部, spoke of a time when she didn鈥檛 feel safe being out on campus and Pride Parades were riots, not celebrations.
鈥淭hings are so much better [now], and there is always work to be done in the culture of bullying in reference to sexual and gender identity and that work is important,鈥� she said.
Ten-year-old Frida Kaeubler, daughter of Lisa Delong, human rights and equity advisor, says it鈥檚 important for Dal to be part of the parade. 鈥淚t gives people a chance to show who they are, and it gives us the chance to tell them we love them.鈥�
Editor's note: Brittany Long's quote was initially misattributed in the original version of this story. It has since been corrected.