On January 29th, 2025, Pride Niagara released the following statement, “Pride Niagara has been in discussions with the City of St. Catharines in hopes to make the Pride Niagara Festival a joint initiative. Always looking for innovative ways and partnerships to deliver our programming while prioritizing everyone’s safety. Unfortunately, these discussions have not developed into a much-needed joint venture and Pride Niagara has decided to condense the festival by removing Pride in the Park from this year’s lineup.”
Gay pride events are important because they celebrate the diversity of queer voices and identities, promote visibility, and advocate for equal rights. Events like Pride in the Park honour the struggles and milestones of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ rights movement, particularly the Stonewall Riots of 1969, which ignited modern gay, queer, and trans activism. These events serve as reminders of the progress that has been made and the work that still needs to be done for full equality.
One of the elements frequently misconstrued by some less humane, caring, or knowledgeable individuals is that these events and celebrations mark the long struggle of this marginalized community. This battle has not and does not exist for straight, white, Christian males (in most parts of the Western world). Why is there no straight pride event? What struggles and milestones do you have to celebrate beyond cultivating monotheistic, misogynistic, and oppressive chauvinism?
Beyond celebration, pride events serve as platforms for activism, raising awareness of legal and social challenges still faced by 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals. Discrimination, mental health, and legal rights are brought to the forefront.
As Pride Niagara put it, “Since 2010 Pride Niagara has been a celebration of Niagara Region’s sexual and gender diverse community and its supporters. Developing positive and safer spaces, providing social connectivity, information and community outreach while spearheading local activism throughout the Niagara Region. Over the past 15 years Pride Niagara has become the longest operating not for profit exclusively serving Niagara’s [2SLGBTQQIA+] communities. From monthly events across the region to the Annual Pride Niagara Festival, celebrating our amazing Queer community and allies.”
Pride events create affirmative spaces that promote joy, love, and self-acceptance. They foster solidarity among allies and community members. Unfortunately, due to apathy or perhaps a more malevolent intent, the City of St. Catharines has either refused or been unable to relieve some of the overwhelming responsibilities placed on Pride Niagara and its small, dedicated group of unpaid volunteers. Many of these individuals, hoping to be reimbursed later, often charge thousands of dollars on their credit cards to organize pride celebrations, uncertain if they will ever see that money returned.
Amid struggles, pride events again emphasize joy, love, and self-acceptance. They create an affirming space where people can freely express their identities without fear. Pride events have historically contributed to significant social and legal advancements, from marriage equality to workplace protections. By keeping 2SLGBTQQIA+ issues visible, they push for continued progress. Pride events highlight the diversity within the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, including different races, genders, and cultural backgrounds (intersectionality). They create space for conversations about inclusion and equity. In short, pride events are celebrations and powerful reminders of resilience, progress, and the ongoing fight for equality. Instead, the City has closed itself off to this affirming and inclusive celebration. Through its deliberate decision to unavail itself instead, the City serves up a win for our regional delegation of goblins and ghouls. The same miserable hoard of bigots that have been criminally harassing city staff over their obsession with the non-existent display of genitalia they seem undeniably attracted to. The same self-hating, closeted unemployed trolls that flourish in cold, dark, dank, shadowy spaces (i.e. their mom’s basement) and blurt out demonstrably false conspiracy theories about “grooming this” and “predator that,” all while they furtively apportion hours scrolling through adult websites quixotically longing for their next ardent rendezvous with a gay man or trans woman.
In response to the press release the City knew was coming, the best they could come up with was, “The City of St. Catharines values its ongoing relationship with Pride Niagara and remains committed to supporting and celebrating [2SLGBTQQIA+] communities.” So they offered no material or logistic support. “While discussions were ongoing about how the City can best support Pride Niagara through the many challenges it faces in delivering its important programming, we share in the community’s disappointment over the announcement of the cancellation of Pride in the Park, and are committed to working with our community partners to ensure future celebrations of remain in St. Catharines.” Because the City couldn’t be bothered to offload some of the logistical responsibilities of an overworked team of volunteers we’ve lost this important annual event.
The City continues, “The City of St. Catharines did not cancel Pride in the Park, nor is it restricting the annual event in any way. Celebrating Pride Month and Pride in the Park at Montebello Park has long been a tradition in St. Catharines that the City has supported.” While it was ultimately Pride Niagara’s decision to shift its focus to less demanding events, the City, through their calculated decision to refuse support, did, in effect, directly contribute to the cancellation of Pride in the Park.
Given the City’s track record of being inaccessible to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, none of this comes as any surprise. Despite the City’s recent grant of $11,000 over the last two years (for an event that has been going on for 15 years), their investment in advocacy, building awareness, being inclusive and celebrating representation, commemorating history, intersectionality, and social and legal advancement is so nominal it is actually offensive. $11,000 over 15 years can’t even be taken as a “token,” it is something less than; It’s just plain obnoxious.
I am not associated with Pride Niagara and all of this information is my own speculation based on the two press releases and publicly available documents.
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