Pride Week begins in Kamloops with celebration of community, culture and connection

Organizers state the events throughout the week remain an important part of creating visibility and fostering inclusion for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

“It’s still very important to have Pride,” said Alyssa Christianson, the president of Kamloops Pride. “It’s important for us to offer a wide variety of types of events for our community, for allies, for Kamloops as a whole to come have fun, participate, but also maybe learn something new, meet some new people.”

The gathering serves as the opening event for a full week of programming that includes educational and informative sessions, social activities, performances and community events that are designed to bring people together while supporting learning and understanding.

Organizers hope Pride Week helps community members find and build connection while also highlighting the diversity and presence of the local queer community.

“I hope people take away from this week that firstly, the queer community is a lot bigger than they might have thought,” Christianson said. “We’re all here, it’s just hard to find each other sometimes. I hope people are able to find their community. Then I hope that maybe the community as a whole, Kamloops and the area, take away that it’s important for us to celebrate.”

Pride Week events will continue throughout the week, culminating in the annual Pride Parade on Victoria Street at 11:00 a.m. and festival on Sunday (June 14) in downtown Kamloops.

by Jeremy Russo

Pride Week begins in Kamloops with celebration of community, culture and connection

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