Directions for the Pride Parade w/ PFLAG - Sunday August 1st

The Pride season is upon us in Vancouver, and so far the weather is fabulous! We're hopeful that next Sunday will be no different, but we want you to 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
We are the 38th entrant in the parade this year which we think is excellent news! We’re very early on in the parade, so that means we’ll need all those who are marching to join us by 11:30am on Sunday*. We will be located at the SW corner of Thurlow and Robson, just in front of the Starbucks.

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

We will have two vehicles in the parade this year. 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 second vehicle will be a car driven by our favourite brides, Eve & Linda along with their family. 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.

The parade route has been extended the last few years, but this year it is actually one block shorter in order to allow for more staging room at the beginning. 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. 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. You are most welcome to join us afterwards at our booth at the Sunset Beach festival site, where we will be stationed until 6pm. 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.

OUR THEME
This year’s parade theme as per the Vancouver Pride Society is ‘Liberate’. As we were the lucky recipients again this year of a $300 grant to help us decorate courtesy of the VPS, (thank you!), we have chosen a theme that is sure to be talked about as we follow the parade route. We will need volunteers to carry flags in the parade. We will have 17 flags in total: 10 flags represent countries that have legalized same-sex marriage and give equal rights to the LGBT community, those being Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Iceland, South Africa and most recently, Argentina. The other 7 flags will represent those countries that still have laws on the books which advocate the death penalty for those found to be engaged in same-sex activity. Those countries are Iran, Nigeria, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. PFLAG Canada’s mission is to support, educate and provide resources for parents, families and friends when it comes to LGBT issues – we want 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 either a sign or a flag 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 1st! Please e-mail us if you have any questions.

Colin McKenna
PFLAG Vancouver
info@pflagvancouver.com
* For those who are helping us earlier in the day with the float, we need to have all vehicles in place no later than 10:45am.