Latest news with #PrideWeek
Ottawa Citizen
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
RuPaul will DJ at Piknic Électronik for one night only, then sashay away
Montreal's Piknic Électronik excitedly announced Thursday that RuPaul will perform Sept. 13 as part of the summer-long electronic music festival Off Piknic. Article content 'Surpriiiiise!' the festival posted on Instagram on the first day of Montreal's Pride Week. 'Expect dance, pop, house, disco and guaranteed good vibes, your fave night out of the summer, no doubt.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Known to many thanks to the long-running TV series RuPaul's Drag Race, the actor, songwriter and author has appeared on big and little screens in such hits as AJ and the Queen, But I'm a Cheerleader and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Article content The queer icon has nevertheless been accused of mainstreaming and watering down queer and drag culture, called out for comments about trans women and was blasted online for speaking about his fracking ranch. Article content RuPaul's Drag Race has won 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, three GLAAD Media Awards, a Critics' Choice Television Award, two Billboard Music Awards and a Tony Award.
Hamilton Spectator
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Pride flags fly high at North Shore municipal halls
Colourful flags are flying high to kick start Pride Week on the North Shore. On Monday, West Vancouver, North Vancouver district and city municipalities held flag-raising ceremonies at their municipal halls to celebrate Pride Week on the North Shore and show support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Council members, police, fire and other members of the community attended the flag raising celebrations. 'All three municipalities on the North Shore are supporting North Shore Pride Week by raising a flag for our community, which is fabulous,' said Gary Woods, co-founder of the North Shore Pride Alliance. The pride flags will be on display for the rest of the week. To check out other pride events happening this week on the North Shore, head to . A post shared by District of North Vancouver (@nvandistrict) 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲! @WestVanPolice , the North Shore Pride Alliance, and Pflag Canada raised the Pride Flag at Municipal Hall to celebrate the 2SLGBTQI+ community and the start of #PrideWeek . We loved 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗺's performance! #westvan #westvancouver A post shared by City of North Vancouver (@cityofnorthvancouver) Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
26-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Pride week returns to North Shore with dazzling performances and activities
Pride Week is returning for another year on the North Shore, and it's going to be thriving. Running from Monday, July 28 to Saturday, Aug. 2, pride events will blossom the North Shore into rainbow colours with events for everyone to enjoy. The theme for this year's events is 'thrive with pride.' 'Our community is done just surviving. We've faced hate, ridicule, and resistance at every turn – on the North Shore, across this country and around the world,' said Gary Woods, co-founder of the North Shore Pride Alliance. 'And yet, we're still here, we're still growing, we're still thriving.' 'This year's theme is a declaration: we are not just enduring. We are flourishing,' Woods added. 'We've built chosen families, shattered barriers and created joy in the face of injustice. We are loud, we are proud, and we are never going anywhere.' Here is a rundown of everything happening next week. A flag raising with the three North Shore municipalities will kick off the week on July 28. The District of North Vancouver will raise the pride flag at municipal hall at 8:30 a.m., followed by the District of West Vancouver at noon (12 p.m.) and the City of North Vancouver at 2 p.m. 'That way all three municipalities on the North Shore are supported with North Shore Pride Week by raising a flag for our community, which is fabulous,' Woods said. On Tuesday, July 29 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. there will be a drag dinner show with the Parkgate Community Services Society youth centre team at the Parkgate Plaza. Lasagna will be served for dinner while Vancouver drag artists Isabella, Yuen Young and take the stage. People can enjoy craft beers and pride trivia at Wildeye Brewing next Wednesday evening alongside a performance from North Shore's own drag icon Conni Smudge. The trivia event will take place from 8 to 10 p.m., and winners will also be given gift cards and other giveaways. Come the evening of July 31 at 8 p.m., expect to see some entertainment before the screening of sci-fi movie The Fifth Element for Deckchair Cinema outside the Polygon Gallery. Woods said a couple of drag artists will perform, promising a 'royal lineup of entertainment' you won't want to miss. Free pride bingo is set to hit the West Vancouver Memorial Library's Welsh Hall on Friday, Aug. 1 from 2 to 4:30 p.m., where drag queen Carlotta Gurl will call six rounds of bingo and perform throughout the afternoon. And last but certainty not least, Pride at the Pier is coming to North Vancouver's Shipyards Saturday, Aug. 2 from 5 to 10 p.m. This year's event will be stacked with performances ranging from drag artists like Smudge and Virginia Slim to musicians like The Squares Barbershop Quartet and even a comedy troupe. Alongside entertainment, there will be community and craft booths. On top of the scheduled events, there will be 10-to-15-minute pop-up performances on street corners across the North Shore throughout the week to let people know what's coming up during Pride Week. 'It's time to come on down, be your authentic self,' Woods said. 'Put on a wig if you want, do some makeup, get your drag on. But most of all, come and have some fun. Be who you are and be with the people you know, with your community that is here.' Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Global News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Nova Scotia premier misses Halifax Pride parade for second consecutive year
Nova Scotia's premier was absent from this weekend's Halifax Pride parade, marking the second year in a row he has missed the largest LGBTQ+ celebration in Atlantic Canada. Fiona Kerr, executive director of Halifax Pride, says the Progressive Conservatives did not participate in the parade because they were late to register and float spots had filled up. Catherine Klimek, a spokesperson for Premier Tim Houston's office, says the PC Party was on the wait-list for Saturday's parade, but she did not immediately answer when asked if he had tried to join another group's float. 1:56 Pride Week festivities begin in Halifax Houston says he missed last year's Pride parade because the RCMP had warned of potential disruptions from protesters. Story continues below advertisement The last time Houston marched in the parade was in 2022, and the event was cancelled in 2023. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Nova Scotia's NDP and Liberal parties each participated with a parade float this weekend, leaving the Progressive Conservatives as the only major political party not represented. Klimek says the premier spent his Saturday at an annual stock car race in Antigonish, N.S. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 21, 2025.
CBC
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Hal Hinds exhibit honours a life of advocacy in Fredericton
If you don't know the name Hal Hinds, a new exhibit at the Fredericton Region Museum will probably make you wonder how he's gone under the radar for so long. The exhibit, A Tribute to Hal Hinds — Botanist, Teacher, Gay Activist, Naturalist and Author, was launched last weekend to coincide with the start of Pride Week in the capital. Many who attended the opening, remembered Hinds as a teacher or curator of the Connell Herbarium at the University of New Brunswick, said Meredith Batt, who put together the display and gave a talk at the launch. But he was also a pioneer of the local 2SLGBTQ+ community, said Batt, who co-founded the Queer Heritage Initiative of New Brunswick. Hinds spearheaded Fredericton Lesbians and Gays, an organization formed in 1979. He served as its first president and operated a coming-out help line from his home. He also co-founded AIDS New Brunswick and led the fight to enshrine protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the province's human rights legislation, said Jim Goltz, his friend and fellow activist and naturalist. In the mid-1980s, there was no legal protection for members of the queer community from discrimination, Goltz said. "Anyone could be fired just because of their sexual orientation." "There were a lot of people who were very, very closeted and secretive about their lifestyle. There was just so much danger to revealing who you were." There was also "incredible danger of physical violence," he said, because that's how some people reacted to something they didn't understand. Goltz and Hinds promoted a more scientific approach. "Anything that is new to me, I just want to find out more about it," he said. "Then, once you do, then you can be more comfortable with it. But some people just react violently because of stigma and social pressure. And certainly traditional religions did not help with that." There were many things that needed to be done, Goltz said. The two men, together with nurses Grace Getty and Anne Rowe, started AIDS New Brunswick in 1986. At the time, the disease now known as various manifestations of HIV infection, was spreading, and "there was a lot of anxiety, ignorance, denial and stupidity," Goltz said. That's what he and Hinds mused that the acronym AIDS must stand for. Every other province besides New Brunswick and P.E.I. already had an AIDS organization. They applied for funding and were shocked when they got it, he said. Advocating for those who needed support became second job. Goltz is sad there's still a need for AIDS N.B., but he's glad the group exists to answer the call. "That organization has had a huge impact … with harm reduction and helping those who are living with HIV/AIDS," said Batt. "These organizations and their legacy are really important for people to learn about. Understanding where we've come from will help us figure out where we're going." Hinds had a mantra that Batt also finds instructive: "Learn them, love them, protect them." "I think that applies to plants and humans alike. And that's a really important message that we need right now," they said. Hinds was a consummate gardener and he used the same care in tending to his community, agreed Goltz. "You plant seeds, nurture them and watch them grow." On the botany side, Hinds helped establish the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists, the New Brunswick Protected Areas Coalition and the Fredericton Botanic Garden Association. He used to lead great mushroom walks, did a lot of experiments with plants and gathered a wealth of knowledge about local plant life, said Batt, some of which he had published in books including The Flora of New Brunswick. A group of Hinds's friends built a garden in his memory. It's tucked in behind the New Brunswick writers' garden. They planted ferns, wildflowers and primroses, which were Hinds's favourite, and — much to everyone's surprise — have flourished into a cascade, Goltz said. It's a peaceful spot where you can sit on a bench to read, catch a glimpse of a hummingbird in the hostas or hear the hoot of a barred owl, a call that Hinds could mimic well, noted Goltz. Visits to the garden also call to his mind excursions where he and Hinds rediscovered plant specimens that hadn't been documented in the province in 100 years. Goltz hopes Hinds will be remembered for his passion for nature and stewardship and his passion for friends, family and the community. Batt is hoping an interpretive panel will be installed in the memorial garden in 2026, which will mark 40 years since the founding of AIDS N.B. and 25 years since Hinds's death in 2001 from an HIV-related illness. They are still looking for the money to do it.
