At this year’s annual Territorial Days Parade, the Canadian flag was waved with the rainbow pride flag for the first time. The parade marked the Battlefords and Area Gender and Sexuality Alliance's first major public outing since the group formed in May of this year.
Group founder Kay-Lynne Collier says she felt there was a community need because there has never been a Battlefords-based LGBTQ group open to the entire public.
“I thought having a community-focused group would be good,” she says. “I also thought it would be a great opportunity for people to interact with other people they wouldn’t normally interact with.”
Body acceptance is an important subject in queer communities, Collier says, so the group drew on this year’s parade slogan “Fun in the Sun” for inspiration on their float’s theme.
“In particular our float is ‘Every Body is a Beach Body.’ It’s important for us to promote body image acceptance because a lot of people, especially trans people, may not feel comfortable in their bodies,” she says, “so (we’re) promoting that idea of acceptance and enjoying the summer without having to feel self-conscious.”
So far there has been a lot of support and excitement from the community, Collier says, and they continue to increase in numbers as well as in fundraising. Eventually she’d like the group to grow enough to be able to open a resource centre that would offer programs and services, like STI testing.
For now, though, Collier says the group hopes their float will bring awareness to the group and to the queer community at large that exists in the Battlefords. People wishing to become involved with the Battlefords and Area Gender and Sexuality Alliance can reach them at their Facebook page.
