On February 9th, the burnt remains of a Pride rainbow flag, that was raised on February 5 for the University of British Columbia’s OUTweek, were discovered.
Through a facebook post on February 11th, the host organization, The Pride Collective, thanked the wider UBC and Vancouver communities for their solidarity after it became known about the flag burning. In the collective statement of The Pride Collective stated, “We are still finding ourselves overwhelmed with what happened and how much attention this has received, but we greatly appreciate the support and care that our communities have given.” However, as a result of these act of hate, The Pride Collective cancelled their LGBT march scheduled for February 10th citing security concerns.
Upon reflecting on the incident, The Pride Collective now plans to hold an alternate event and march on Friday, February 26th from 3-5pm. The Pride Collective is requesting support from individuals, groups and organizations to make the march happen. The event will consist of a teach-in style forum where folks (both featured speakers and open mic participants) will have the opportunity to speak about the Pride flag burning incident, show solidarity, and discuss our next steps on how UBC campus community may move forward in a good way. At the time of press, The Pride Collective anticipates that this action will be followed by a second flag raising and then a peaceful solidarity march around UBC’s campus.
The Two-Spirit Journal stands in solidarity with The Pride Collective, as The Pride Collective has stood with Two-Spirit community. In the summer of 2014, a young Vancouver Two-Spirit individual was brutally beaten by their relatives. The Pride Collective organized and hosted a Two-Spirit talk on January 8th, 2015 to offer a message of hope and to support the reclamation of the honor and respect of Two-Spirit people.
For more details on the February 26th LGBT march, email [email protected] for more details.