MAY 26 – JUNE 4 • 2023 WINNIPEG Inquiries: 1-866-611-5546 View online at winnipegfreepress.com/lifestyles PRIDE
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JENN RANDS, VICE-PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PRIDE WINNIPEG FESTIVAL INC. PRIDE BY KRISTIN MARAND PERENNIALLY PROMOTING
Photo by Darcy Finley
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“After hearing from many members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community who live in and visit our city and province, we realized there was no central place for folks to find out what 2SLGBTQ+ events were going on in the city outside of Pride season.
– Jenn Rands vice-president of community engagement for Pride Winnipeg.
Pride Winnipeg’s new app will showcase 2SLGBTQ+ events all year round.
Happy Pride, Winnipeg!
for folks to find out what 2SLGBTQ+ events were going on in the city outside of Pride season,” explains Jenn Rands, vice-president of community engagement for Pride Winnipeg. Designed with attendees and tourists in mind, the new app will continue to serve as an information hub with all the Pride Winnipeg Festival information in one place. In the months beyond, the events section will continuously be updated with submitted 2SLGBTQ+ community events so that folks can check out what’s happening in the community at any time of year. “Anyone in the province of Manitoba can submit their 2SLGBTQ+ event at https://pridewinnipeg.com/submit-an- event, where it will be reviewed and posted by our app team,” Rands says. “For a community event to be listed, it must be hosted by a non-profit or grassroots organization or be hosted by a business that is donating the proceeds from the event back to a grassroots or non-profit organization.”
Available for download now, the app will help you find local Pride events throughout Pride season and beyond. With sustainability in mind, the paper Pride Guide was retired in 2018 in favour of a digital version. Pride Winnipeg has had an app ever since, but this latest version, created in partnership with Grandstand Events, will offer an easy-to-use experience with year-round information at your fingertips. The previous version of the app was primarily a digital Pride Guide, with information about performers and vendors, schedules, maps and FAQs. In 2022, when Winnipeg hosted Pride Canada, more than 100 community events were submitted for inclusion during Pride season (May to July) alone. That’s when the need for a broader events calendar and guide was made clear. “After hearing from many members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community who live in and visit our city and province, we realized there was no central place
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Rands hopes that app use grows along with the festival. “It allows festival-goers to stay engaged and informed about everything happening throughout the festival so they can plan ahead,” she says. “We will be incorporating surveys into the app to allow attendees to provide feedback in exchange for a chance to win some fun prizes.” This year marks the 36th Pride Winnipeg Festival and the 13th year celebrating at The Forks. Last year’s festivities saw 80,000 attendees over two days of celebrations, and the organizing committee expects similar attendance for 2023. Download the Pride Winnipeg app today to help plan your weekend and navigate the many events and activities. Keep the app handy for updates on upcoming community events and resources.
Photo by Darcy Finley
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OMAR MOHAMED, MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR PRIDE WINNIPEG FESTIVAL INC.
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EVEN MORE TO OFFER IN 2023 PRIDE WINNIPEG FESTIVAL HAS BY TODD LEWYS
As dynamic as the Pride Win- nipeg Festival has been in past years, it’s gearing up to be even more dynamic this year. “We’ve been growing steadily, so we did a dry run of expansion last year and decided to go with it this year,” says Jenn Rands, the festi- val’s vice-president of community engagement. “We’re really excited about several new addi- tions to the festival.” The first addition will be a brand-new com - munity stage, which will complement the TD Main Stage.
“It will be placed alongside the river and will be a full-size stage with beverage service,” Rands says. “Saturday will see Indigenous programming presented by 2Spirit Manitoba, Sayzoons, Lii Michif Otipemisiwak 2SLGTBQ+ and Allies Local.” Patrons will be welcome to sign up at the stage for a No Talent Contest, where people can come up and show their special skills — or lack thereof — for a chance to win up to $1,000 in cash prizes. Then, on Sunday, there will be a full day of pro- gramming that will shine a spotlight on local and upcoming QTBIPOC (queer, trans, black, In- digenous and people of colour) artists.
MORE THAN 80,000 PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND THE FESTIVAL THIS YEAR.
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THE KAPTAIN (DJ)
ISSA KIXEN (COMEDIAN)
QUEER BEER WILL ONCE AGAIN BE AVAILABLE FOR FESTIVAL-GOERS TO CONSUME AT THE 2023 EDITION OF THE FESTIVAL.
“The headliner on Sunday will be Al Simmons, while other acts will include French Class and Mama Cutsworth’s Family Dance Party. There will also be a Drag Queen Story Hour with House of Hex.”
“Many local artists will perform, including DJs, drag performers and other acts,” Rands says. “It will make for a great showcase of local talent.” She notes that PrideMART — a business fair held annually at the festival — will also be bigger and better, featuring a new job fair. “It will be located between the main stage area and the new community stage. That will provide better traffic flow and direct more traffic into the PrideMART areas,” she says. “The area itself will be expanded and will be a great spot for local businesses and artists to connect. The job fair is sponsored by the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.” Then there’s the main stage, which will feature an eclectic cross-section of established artists from other areas of Manitoba and Canada. “There will be music, dance, drag acts, vocalists and bands. On Saturday, acts will include The Galax-E of Ruby Chopstix, House of Haze, Sunshine Bunch, M.C. Luv and Wanda G,” she says. “The headliner for Sunday will be Zaki Ibrahim. Other acts will include the Sean Irvine Quintet, Tinge, Black Moon Coven, Chemical X, Snowy Owl Monarchist Society, Ami Cheon and DJ Lucky Sharms & the Kaptain with special guests the Bannock Babes.” Rands adds there will also be a kids’ stage. “On Saturday, there will be an MTYP Workshop, Art City Workshop, Drag Queen Story Hour with the Sunshine Bunch, and Jessee Havey & the Banana Band will perform,” she says.
For more information on all the exciting events that will be taking place at the 2023 Winnipeg Pride Festival, visit pridewinnipeg.com.
CONTESSA LESTRANGE (DRAG ARTIST) & KRISTEN MCKAY (MUSICIAN)
Submitted Photos
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NOREEN MIAN (LEFT) AND ADVOCACY DIRECTOR ASHLEY SMITH SHOWCASE THE NEW LOCATION OF THE RAINBOW RESOURCE CENTRE AT 545 BROADWAY.
RAINBOW RESOURCE CENTRE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
BY GREG KLASSEN
Photo by Darcy Finley
FIGHTING FOR 2SLGBTQQIA+ HUMAN RIGHTS! FIGHTING FOR 2SLGBTQQIA+ HUMAN RIGHTS!
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NIKI ASHTON Member of Parliament Churchill–Keewatinook Aski 1-866-669-7770 niki.ashton@parl.gc.ca NIKI ASHTON Member of Parliament Churchill–Keewatinook Aski 1-866-669-7770 niki.ashton@parl.gc.ca
LEAH GAZAN Member of Parliament Winnipeg Centre 204-984-1675 Leah.Gazan@parl.gc.ca LEAH GAZAN Member of Parliament Winnipeg Centre 204-984-1675 Leah.Gazan@parl.gc.ca
DANIEL BLAIKIE Member of Parliament Elmwood–Transcona 204-984-2499 Daniel.Blaikie@parl.gc.ca DANIEL BLAIKIE Member of Parliament Elmwood–Transcona 204-984-2499 Daniel.Blaikie@parl.gc.ca
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Canada’s longest serving 2SLGBTQ+ resource centre is “moving on up.” Winnipeg’s Rainbow Resource Centre, currently celebrating 50 years of 2SLGBTQ+ identity, advocacy and community, has just moved to 545 Broadway. The new building has a direct view of the Manitoba legislative building, which is appropriate given the many battles Manitoba’s queer communities have fought there. Rainbow has had several locations and names in its half-century evolution. “Until recently, it felt like we were hiding on a backstreet of Osborne Village,” says executive director Noreen Mian of its Scott Street location. The new location at 545 Broadway is an iconic street address, she adds. “This move puts us on a main street as we
build a complete queer campus,” she says. Being developed in phases, and incorporating historic Wilson House, the queer campus — called Place of Pride — will feature built-to-purpose programming space, retail space and, in partnership with Westminster Housing Society, Canada’s first affordable housing for 2SLGBTQ+ older adults. Rainbow shares its history with the equal rights movement in Manitoba through the activism of the 1970s, when it began as a student-led group called Gays For Equality at the University of Manitoba campus, then as a safe space and trusted source of information during the AIDS crisis. In the 1990s, after sexual orientation was protected in the Manitoba Human Rights Code in 1987, Rainbow began promoting education as a tool to combat discrimination. In the early 2000s, Rainbow began supporting a new generation of confident queer youth with programming like Camp Aurora, Manitoba’s only
2SLGBTQ+ youth summer camp, which continues today. “Our top priority is now shifting to the aging population, the fastest growing demographic in Canada. To start, we’re combatting the isolation 2SLGBTQ+ older adults are at an increased risk of experiencing. After winning equal rights, many 2SLGBTQ+ older adults felt aged- out of the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” says advocacy director Ashley Smith, who has spent years working closely with Winnipeg’s 2SLGBTQ+ older adult community. “During COVID, through Rainbow’s virtual programming, a generation reconnected and shared with us their concerns. Now facing the difficult decisions and frustrations of health systems, housing and long-term care, we hear their fears of having to return to the closet to get the care they deserve. And as isolating as it can be in Winnipeg, imagine the challenges faced by 2SLGBTQ+ older adults finding community or accessing care in rural Manitoba.”
Likewise, Mian shares similar concerns. “The folks who fought for equality still face discrimination,” says Mian, adding that health-care and educational systems can still feel unsafe for queer people. “The way it was in Winnipeg 25 years ago is the way it is for queer people in rural Manitoba now.” What’s ahead for the Rainbow Resource Centre? “We will be giving folks more reasons to visit than accessing programming for themselves,” Mian says, “including a virtual learning experience and advocating on behalf of 2SLGBTQ+ communities on issues impacting us today.” Rainbow Resource Centre also has an exciting Pride season planned — with numerous parties, an exhibit at The Manitoba Museum, learning opportunities and a prominent place in the Pride parade. For a complete list of Rainbow Resource Centre’s Pride celebrations, head to www. rainbowresourcecentre.org/rainbow50
The new building has a direct view of the Manitoba legislative building, which is appropriate given the many battles Manitoba’s queer communities have fought there.
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PRIDEMART AND JOB FAIR CONTINUE TO GROW
BY KRISTIN MARAND
PRIDE WINNIPEG AND THE WINNIPEG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAVE PARTNERED TO SHOWCASE MORE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND ARTISANS THAN EVER BEFORE AT THIS YEAR’S PRIDEMART AND JOB FAIR.
The PrideMART job fair is an opportunity for festival sponsors and organizations to walk the walk regarding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Up from just two organizations in 2022, this year almost one-quarter of the festival’s sponsors will have a representative on site to highlight job opportunities and open the door for recruitment. “Pride has always said to the community and our partners that we want to make sure when working with sponsors and partners, we want them to prove that they are a diverse and inclusive company — that they do have DEI policies and DEI individuals, not
A longstanding feature of the festival weekend, this year’s PrideMART will host eight organizations offering employment opportunities and 24 local sellers at The Forks from noon until 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. PrideMART is an exceptional opportunity for LGBT+- owned businesses and businesses catering to the community to show what they offer. With limited spaces available, special consideration is given to LGBT+-owned companies and members of the Manitoba LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Commitment to Opportunity Diversity and Equity (CODE) group. Festival traffic, which reached 80,000 attendees in 2022, offers an incredible return on investment for participating businesses. The relatively low participation cost eliminates some financial barriers small businesses face while promoting their offerings at larger markets and high-cost events. Barry Karlenzig, president and chair of Pride Winnipeg, even encouraged some smaller artisans to partner on a space to further reduce the burden. “Winnipeg has 100,000-plus individuals identify as part of the queer community. That’s a large business demographic,” Karlenzig says. “We want to show the diversity and inclusion that exists in Winnipeg and Manitoba.” He says he was incredibly moved by one applicant who explained that they wanted to participate in PrideMART to show their support for a trans-non- binary employee. “They said, ‘We want to show them that they belong and that we’re a safe place for them to work.’ That’s huge because [it shows] they’re not just going after the pink dollar. They want to show authentic support and diversity,” Karlenzig explains.
Photo by Shandi Strong BARRY KARLENZIG, PRIDE WINNIPEG PRESIDENT & CHAIR.
just ‘Here’s our logo for the month.’ And where better to find talent from the queer community than at the biggest queer festival of the year?” Karlenzig asks. In 2023, PrideMART will be located between the main stage and the new community stage. While Sunday has traditionally been the busier of the two days, the organizing committee expects increased traffic on Saturday with more programming, including a two- spirit powwow, kids’ zone, the Trans March and Pride Run. All PrideMART vendors will also adhere to the environmental standards of The Forks with compostable packaging and no single-use, non-reusable or plastic packaging.
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