Burnaby Pride is still figuring out the city’s 2SLGBTQIA+ scene while offering events where queer folks can celebrate and feel supported, says chair Athena Affan.
Burnaby Pride organizers still don’t really know, but they’re keen to learn more, according to chair Athena Affan.
“I was just like, ‘I didn’t even know that there were any queer people in Burnaby,’” she said in an interview with the NOW this week. “We don’t have any specifically queer spaces.” ‘You want to know you’re supported’ Meanwhile, the events Burnaby Pride is already putting on every July provide important opportunities for members of the queer community to come together in solidarity and celebration where they live, work and play, according to Affan.
This year’s offerings kick off with a Pride community barbecue Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. at Keswick Park near the Lougheed SkyTrain station.Affan describes it as a “low-key” event for everyone in the community. Then, on July 22, the big event, Burnaby Pride Festival, hits Burnaby Civic Square from noon to 6 p.m. at Burnaby Civic Square .
‘Avoid and report’ anti-2SLGBTQIA+ protesters Burnaby Pride organizers hope anti-trans and anti-SOGI protests won’t dampen the celebrations, but Affan said Pride organizations across the country have recorded an uptick in antagonism toward the queer and trans communities over the last year.“Some of the ways that the protesters are engaging these days, is that they might video you,” Affan said. “They’re trying to get a negative response to portray the community in a bad light.
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