Richmond MLAs host 2nd annual ‘Pride and Inclusion Walk’ to celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ community
The festival will feature queer speakers, bubble machines, and stations to create posters
The "Richmond Pride and Inclusion Walk" goes along Imperial Landing Park down to Teemo Teemo Lagoon Beach. (Submitted)
The “Richmond Pride and Inclusion Walk” is returning for its second year to the Steveston Village on July 27 from 11:00 am to noon to support the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
After receiving positive feedback from last year’s Pride walk, Richmond MLAs Kelly Greene, Henry Yao, and Aman Singh decided to host it again to provide a space for people “to live their authentic selves,” Greene says.
“One young person had shared that it was the first time they were able to feel truly like themselves and included just the way they are in Richmond, which I think is a really powerful thing.”
The walk will start on the corner of No. 1 Road and Bayview Street, go along Imperial Landing Park down to Teemo Teemo Lagoon Beach, and loop back.
It was important for Greene to make last year’s Pride walk community focused and a celebration for people rather than for sponsors or big names, she says.
The event featured speakers from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community who talked about their experiences, music, stations to make posters, and bubble machines.
“It was a very joyous and a very vibrant celebration,” Greene says, adding that this year attendees will have an opportunity to make posters to express themselves and stickers for people to write their pronouns on.
“We’re going to also have speakers from people in the Richmond queer community, … and we have a few other folks that are interested in offering treats along the route.”
Greene says there has been an outpouring of support among the community for this walk.
“If you’re part of the Richmond queer community, you are welcome here, you belong,” she says. “There is widespread support for people of all persuasions to be here in the community, to know that they belong, and that swelling of support [from] those people that attend … is really going to demonstrate that.”
Events like this help build a new level of support for creating other queer community initiatives in Richmond, Greene says, adding she knows people often head to Vancouver or other cities when they want to connect with members of their community.
“It would be really meaningful for them to be able to feel like they could have their needs met in Richmond,” Greene says.
“It’s important to be visible because inclusion where you’re made to feel like you have to be invisible is not inclusion,” she says.
“Having visible support is super meaningful for a community that has been marginalized and been told to hide their true selves for so long.”
For more information about the walk, visit www.kellygreene.ca/richmond-pride.
