With their rainbow flags flying, nearly 1,500 Okanaganites of all stripes took part in a waterfront march to show support for Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender and Queer pride.
“We’ve had record turnouts for everything—it’s such a huge crowd today, and I don’t even know how many people are here,” said Wilbur Turner, organizer of this week’s Pride events, in Kelowna.
There’s no way to really know what caused the march, which has been happening for years, to balloon in attendance, but Turner put some of the credit on Mayor Colin Basran’s shoulders.
“With the crosswalks and with him being the grand marshal of the parade, it raised awareness… and people want to get behind something that shows progressiveness and inclusiveness in our city,” said Turner.
For Basran, the decision to embrace the event was simply a matter of being part of an accepting community.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” said Basran.
“There are still people around the world who can’t freely love the people who they love and be the people they were born to be and that’s not right. So, anything we can do to promote awareness and to be a more inclusive city, I’m all for it.”
Kelowna, he pointed out, is doing a better job at being oepn-mind today than ever before, but there are still remnants of its intolerant roots to be found.
That was made evident, said Basran, last week when the four new rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Pandosy Street were unveiled.
Complaints about lack of consultation and a waste of tax payers’ cash, in addition to concerns about messaging were some of the comments that streamed into local news organizations.
All those comments were summed up by those who went on forums in defence of the crosswalks, as thinly veiled bigotry or outright ignorance.
“We are moving in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work to do…,” Basran said.
“But, are we a better community now than we were five to ten years ago? Absolutely. And I hope we’re a better community five to ten years from now.”
If the number of children who were waving flags of support are any indication, the vast majority of Kelowna’s next generation of residents won’t think twice about LBGTQ rights.
Already, said one mother of three teens at the march, Kelowna has proven to be a supportive and open minded place to live.
Renee Mitchell said when her 18-year-old daughter came out, she had no trouble accessing the community support she needed.
She’s part of a diversity club and active in other groups.
As to whether the family had any issues with her orientation, she shrugged her shoulders, offered a confused face and said “absolutely not. We are proud of her. She is who she is.”
