June 1 – 30, 2022 is Pride Month for Canada and that means that BC has events in full swing province wide.

Since 2016, the entire month of June has been declared Pride month, with a program of events throughout the month leading up to the parade.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of Canadian Pride, there’s a website for that!

As shared on queerevents.ca:

“When asked about the history of pride, often the first thing that comes to people’s minds are the Stonewall Riots. Canada, however, has it’s own rich history and turning points in the struggle for and eventual celebration of LGBT rights.

“The most well known of these are the Toronto raids which lead to riots that turned into what is today, a vibrant pride festival. It was not the only turning point in our history, so we present to you a brief timeline of notable events in the history of Pride in Canada. Our history is expansive and this is not, by any means, a comprehensive list.”

Our history spans from 1969 to today with our own rich moments. From the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1969 to July 12 2002 when Justice LaForme released a landmark decision that would pave the way towards gay marriage in Ontario and across North America to today where we are finally seeing Bill C-4: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy).

If you would like to learn more about our country’s rich historic routes in the LGBTQIA2S+ communities, we highly recommend visiting the history page found here.