July 02nd, 2012

** Look for updates here, and also at http://www.pflagvancouver.com/pride-2012.html **

PLEASE WEAR AS MUCH PINK AS POSSIBLE!

Directions for the Pride Parade w/ PFLAG - Sunday August 5th

The Pride season is upon us in Vancouver, and we’re really hoping the weather will be fabulous! We ask that you be prepared for whatever Mother Nature has to deliver. Below you will find information about where to find us, what to bring and what to expect.

IF YOU PLAN TO JOIN US IN THE PARADE
Our location in the parade has not been announced yet. As soon as we know, you will too! TBA

THINGS TO CONSIDER BRINGING WITH YOU
• Sunscreen
• Hat
• Comfortable shoes
• Water
• Umbrella
• If standing for awhile is an issue, consider bringing a small folding chair that you can carry

Our truck will be driven by Cameron, a good friend and PFLAG supporter. Cam also helps us with sound equipment every year: on that note, please know that we will have a loud sound system. If noise is a concern for you, consider bringing earplugs as well. The Vancouver Pride Society has made it clear this year that once you are on a float in the parade, regardless of size, you must stay on that float until the end of the parade. That means we will not be able to allow marchers to get on and off, (or in and out of), vehicles along the parade route. The truck itself will have limited room due to the large amount of equipment we will need to carry. We will also require one person to march alongside each wheel of the vehicle in order to ensure crowd safety, (sometimes young children run towards moving vehicles, certainly a hazard).

The parade will begin at Robson & Bute, continue down Robson to Denman, then left on Denman to Beach, keeping left until the end at Pacific & Jervis. The staging area, (where we assemble), will be fenced in this year to facilitate more crowd control. Please do not let this deter you. You do not need to show any identification in order to join us. At the end, parade marshals will move us very quickly to a spot where we have 5 minutes to tear down whatever we can in order to make the vehicles road worthy. *We do NOT have a booth at the festival this year, so once we disassemble at the end of the parade, we will not have another meeting place.*

OUR THEME
'NOT JUST PINK FOR A DAY'
We're having our own fun with the 'pink shirt' concept, as well as the current 'Keep Calm and Carry On' trend. We are reminding people that anti-bullying is also about anti-homophobia, a message often lost in the media and missed by our own provincial gov't it would seem. More to come on this. TBA

PFLAG Canada’s mission is to support, educate and provide resources for parents, families and friends when it comes to LGBT issues – we want to not only bring a message of support to the parade, but we also want to educate others about the importance of support for LGBT people at all levels of government. Sometimes we’re asked ‘why have the parade’, seeing as we live in a country that is so inclusive. Our hope is that through education and awareness, we can create a better world for all.

We hope you will join us! If you are receiving this message through Facebook, please ensure you let us know if you are planning to join. We’re hoping that those who’ve indicated they are ‘Attending’ will be able to help us carry a sign in the parade. If you’re not able to attend, please indicate that as well so that we can better assess how many marchers to
expect.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday August 5th! Please e-mail us if you have any questions.

Colin McKenna
PFLAG Vancouver
[email protected] 

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