YORKTON – Supporters, allies and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community were in attendance for the Yorkton Pride parade held July 13.
"I would say there's probably a couple hundred that turned out today between the people taking part and the spectators," told Margo Allaire, Chair of Yorkton Pride, in an interview with SASKTODAY.ca
Allaire, now in her fifth year of chairing Yorkton Pride, said that more people took part in this year's parade than in years past.
"Year-over-year we've just been continuing to grow and add more visibility," said Allaire.
Allaire said events like Pride Week are still very important for the community.
"It's really important to have the visibility especially in smaller rural communities like Yorkton where maybe as a queer kid growing up you don't know if you have community and if it's a safe space. We really try hard to be visible and make sure that everyone knows that there are other people out there that are like them and that there are people that are welcoming and affirming and it's a safe community — even though sometimes it maybe doesn't feel that way," said Allaire.
"For folks who don't know what the truth is and what the truth isn't — they hear things and they are scared and they say 'protect our kids' — they don't need protection from feeling included and that's all we're trying to do," said Allaire.
"I would say unfortunately we have a long way to go because there's still a lot of people who spread misinformation out of fear and out of not knowing any better and really it's just about making sure that everyone feels included," added Allaire.
