Groups spend day to honour 2SLGBTQIA+ cleaning up around Finlay Bridge
The Prairie Pride Guild of Medicine Hat & District was joined Saturday by the Medicine Hat Skateboard Association for the second annual cleanup of Finlay Bridge and area in honour of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.
The day, initiated in 2004, aims to draw awareness to the struggles faced by 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals both close to home and around the world. The date, May 17, was selected to commemorate May 17, 1990, when the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.
To hold space for the date, the Prairie Pride Guild organized a cleanup of Finlay Bridge and the surrounding area.
'This day is, of course, to bring awareness to the discrimination and violence that the 2ALGBTQIA+ community faces, and so we just wanted to do something good in the community, give back and also hold space and raise awareness for those people,' said Kimberly Large, a director with the Guild.
This year, they were joined by a number of allies from the MHSA, who pledged their afternoon despite the drizzle to doing some good in the city they call home.
'We are just so happy to be out here and support what the Guild has going on. We just came in as a support, we believe in what they're doing,' said Davie James with MHSA. 'We're collecting trash. We're going to go cook some hot dogs after. We're always super grateful when we see community groups in motion, out there making a change and really being a part of said community.'
The turnout to this year's cleanup was significantly larger than the prior year, noted Large, and they hope this is a sign of things to come for being able to do their part in the city and to stand proud as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and their allies.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Airline celebrates Pride month with 'all-2SLGBTQIA flight'
Air Canada celebrated its "first all-2SLGBTQIA+" in posts on social media Monday. "Our first all-2SLGBTQIA+ flight was a heartfelt celebration reflecting our unwavering commitment to inclusivity and equality, in the air and on the ground," Air Canada said in a post on X, accompanied by a video. 2SLGBTQIA+ stands for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual. The plus sign is meant to show the various ways people express themselves under the 2SLGBTQIA+ name. "I thought it was a great initiative for the whole community," Jean-François, identified as a station attendant, said in the video. "It's somewhat of a thrill being on this flight today." Another station attendant, René JR, felt similarly. "I'm here to support my daughter," he said. "One of my four children is part of this community. When I saw there was an opportunity to support her even more, I signed up for it right away." Juan, a first officer, also featured in the Air Canada video, said, "What this means today is that this is a really special moment. It has to do with visibility, with the possibility of telling everyone that we truly feel welcome and accepted for who we are." Some reactions to the post on X, however, were not as positive. Curtis Houck, managing editor of NewsBusters, posted on X, "This is a parody, right?" Canadian blogger Mark Slapinski said, "Air Canada has gone FULLY WOKE. Raise your hand if you'll never fly on their airlines AGAIN." Fox News Digital reached out to Air Canada for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
NBC News' Jacob Soboroff Sets Deal With HarperCollins to Chronicle Los Angeles' Devastating Blazes in ‘Firestorm'
Jacob Soboroff, a national and political correspondent for NBC News, has set a deal with HarperCollins to write a book examining the wildfires that devastated his hometown of Pacific Palisades as well as Altadena in January. 'Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster' is set to be published on Jan. 6, 2026, the day before the one-year anniversary of the start of the wind-whipped fires. More from Variety Ahead of PGA Awards, Guild Says Fighting Runaway Production Is Top Priority: 'We Have to Stand Up and Fight for Los Angeles' ABC News Plans 'SoCal Strong' Coverage, Fundraising for California Wildfire Victims MSNBC Plans Launch of 'American Swamp' Docuseries with Katy Tur, Jacob Soboroff Soboroff inked his deal with Peter Hubbard, senior VP and publisher of the HarperCollins imprint Mariner Books. The pair worked together on Soboroff's 2020 nonfiction best-seller 'Separated: Inside an American Tragedy.' That book, about the Trump administration's family separation policy for migrants, was made into a 2024 documentary helmed by Errol Morris. 'We are honored to be partnering with Jacob again as he embarks on writing a defining account of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires, a subject so close to his mind and heart,' Hubbard said. 'Having worked with Jacob on his first book, 'Separated,' I know that every page of 'Firestorm' will evidence his blend of dogged reporting, open-hearted attunement to human stories, and a wide-angle understanding of the complex regional, national and global implications of the L.A. fires.' Soboroff said he intends to keep the time frame of 'Firestorm' fairly narrow, given the limited time that he has to finish the book. It will focus on the momentous two weeks from the start of the blazes on Jan. 7 until Jan. 24, the day newly inauguarated President Donald Trump visited the Palisades to survey the destruction with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Soboroff intends to establish a meticulous timeline of what happened and to capture the experiences of survivors, first responders and myriad others whose lives were up-ended by the blazes that left more than 20 people dead and more than 18,000 homes and buildings destroyed. 'It's been a real journalistic endeavor of investigating what went on and a reflection that there will be more of these fires,' Soboroff told Variety. 'It's a book-length examination of what we've experienced as a society and as a country.' Soboroff noted that his drive to write 'Firestorm' was similar to the process that led him to write 'Separated,' after he saw first-hand how the Trump administration's cruel policy of family separation for migrants was being implemented along the U.S.'s southern border. It was the jolt that inspired Soboroff to dig deep into the policy failures and political fights around immigration policy for decades. 'Family separation was the X-ray vision that allowed us to undersand the immigration system and how broken it was,' Soboroff said. 'The fire has exposed the intersection of disaster and inequality. When an event like this hapens, it makes the problems so concrete. It makes things glaringly obvious.' Soboroff grew up in the Pacific Palisades area. His brother and other family members were in harm's way when Soboroff headed out of NBC News' L.A. bureau to cover the devastation in an area he knows so well. 'This was in many ways the fire of the future,' he said. 'I felt like I was watching my childhood flash before my eyes. And this book is becoming an examination of what my children's future is going to look like as it relates to these types of disasters.' Soboroff is repped by CAA. (Pictured top: NBC News' Jacob Soboroff speaks to an employee of a restaurant destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire on Jan. 10.) Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
NBC News' Jacob Soboroff Sets Deal With HarperCollins to Chronicle Los Angeles' Devastating Blazes in ‘Firestorm'
Jacob Soboroff, a national and political correspondent for NBC News, has set a deal with HarperCollins to write a book examining the wildfires that devastated his hometown of Pacific Palisades as well as Altadena in January. 'Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster' is set to be published on Jan. 6, 2026, the day before the one-year anniversary of the start of the wind-whipped fires. More from Variety Ahead of PGA Awards, Guild Says Fighting Runaway Production Is Top Priority: 'We Have to Stand Up and Fight for Los Angeles' ABC News Plans 'SoCal Strong' Coverage, Fundraising for California Wildfire Victims MSNBC Plans Launch of 'American Swamp' Docuseries with Katy Tur, Jacob Soboroff Soboroff inked his deal with Peter Hubbard, senior VP and publisher of the HarperCollins imprint Mariner Books. The pair worked together on Soboroff's 2020 nonfiction best-seller 'Separated: Inside an American Tragedy.' That book, about the Trump administration's family separation policy for migrants, was made into a 2024 documentary helmed by Errol Morris. 'We are honored to be partnering with Jacob again as he embarks on writing a defining account of the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires, a subject so close to his mind and heart,' Hubbard said. 'Having worked with Jacob on his first book, 'Separated,' I know that every page of 'Firestorm' will evidence his blend of dogged reporting, open-hearted attunement to human stories, and a wide-angle understanding of the complex regional, national and global implications of the L.A. fires.' Soboroff said he intends to keep the time frame of 'Firestorm' fairly narrow, given the limited time that he has to finish the book. It will focus on the momentous two weeks from the start of the blazes on Jan. 7 until Jan. 24, the day newly inauguarated President Donald Trump visited the Palisades to survey the destruction with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Soboroff intends to establish a meticulous timeline of what happened and to capture the experiences of survivors, first responders and myriad others whose lives were up-ended by the blazes that left more than 20 people dead and more than 18,000 homes and buildings destroyed. 'It's been a real journalistic endeavor of investigating what went on and a reflection that there will be more of these fires,' Soboroff told Variety. 'It's a book-length examination of what we've experienced as a society and as a country.' Soboroff noted that his drive to write 'Firestorm' was similar to the process that led him to write 'Separated,' after he saw first-hand how the Trump administration's cruel policy of family separation for migrants was being implemented along the U.S.'s southern border. It was the jolt that inspired Soboroff to dig deep into the policy failures and political fights around immigration policy for decades. 'Family separation was the X-ray vision that allowed us to undersand the immigration system and how broken it was,' Soboroff said. 'The fire has exposed the intersection of disaster and inequality. When an event like this hapens, it makes the problems so concrete. It makes things glaringly obvious.' Soboroff grew up in the Pacific Palisades area. His brother and other family members were in harm's way when Soboroff headed out of NBC News' L.A. bureau to cover the devastation in an area he knows so well. 'This was in many ways the fire of the future,' he said. 'I felt like I was watching my childhood flash before my eyes. And this book is becoming an examination of what my children's future is going to look like as it relates to these types of disasters.' Soboroff is repped by CAA. (Pictured top: NBC News' Jacob Soboroff speaks to an employee of a restaurant destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire on Jan. 10.) Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts?
