Members and allies of the local 2SLGBTQA+ community will gather in Winkler next week for the city’s first-ever Pride celebration.
Pembina Valley Pride has hosted six parades and rallies in recent years to mark June as Pride Month. Based on feedback from those events, organizers felt it was time to bring the festivities to the region’s largest community, said president Pauline Emerson-Froebe.
“We’ve done Altona, we’ve done Morden, and we’ve done Carman,” she said. “There are queer people in Winkler too.”
A public gathering of like-minded community members and supporters can go a long way towards making 2SLGBTQA+ individuals feel welcome and loved in the place they call home, Emerson-Froebe said.
“For some people, this is once a year where they get the internal strength to know that they are accepted by friends and family, by peers, by allies, and that can carry you through a very long time to know that you’re not alone in this area.”
The day kicks off with a Rainbow church service at 10:30 a.m. at a local church before the festivities move to the Winkler Parkland stage area with a Rainbow Makers Market and a by-donation barbecue lunch starting up at noon.
“We have various local artisans that are coming, and artisans from across the province,” shared Emerson-Froebe. “And then we’ll also have tables for community groups. Some are local community groups and some are queer groups coming from out of town.”
Several guest speakers will take the stage at 1 p.m. before supporters head out on a short march along the bike/walking paths in the area before heading back for an afternoon of stage entertainment and activities.
“We’re going to have lawn games, we’re going to have a photo booth, we’re going to have face painting,” said Emerson-Froebe. “And then we have a mural where people will be able to write or design on.”
Their goal, Emerson-Froebe stressed, is to create an inclusive, safe space for the 2SLGBTQA+ community and its allies to come together in celebration and support. To aid in ensuring everything runs smoothly, there will be security on-site throughout the day.
Emerson-Froebe acknowledges there are people upset a Pride event is happening in Winkler. Her message to them and the community at large about this gathering is simple:
“That it’s a family-friendly event, that it is a safe space, and it is a joyous event. And know that if you’re not interested in this, then carry on and do your regular Saturday thing. There’s no need to come if this isn’t your thing,” she said. “This is a welcoming event for the queer community and, very importantly, its allies.”
