Downtown Ladysmith will burst into colour on Sunday, June 1 for the second annual Ladysmith Pride celebration, a fun, all-ages event that welcomes everyone to show up, celebrate and stand together in support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community (two-spirit, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual and other identities).
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1st Avenue between Roberts Street and High Street will become a pedestrian-only zone, filled with food trucks, artisan vendors, family-friendly games and community booths. Whether you’re grabbing lunch, discovering a local maker or striking up a conversation at an info table, the street party offers something for everyone.
“Let’s bring our small town together for a big, beautiful Sunday Funday!” wrote the Ladysmith Pride Society online.
The celebration is more than a party; it’s a visible show of support and belonging.
Pride today is filled with joy, but it began as an act of resistance. The modern Pride movement traces its roots to the Stonewall uprising of June 1969, when 2SLGBTQIA+ patrons of a New York City bar stood up to ongoing police violence and systemic harassment. Many of those on the front lines were drag performers, trans women and racialized individuals, communities that faced some of the harshest treatment from police.
One day before that uprising, Canada took a historic step of its own. On May 14, 1969, Parliament passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act, decriminalizing what the law at the time referred to as “homosexual acts between consenting adults.”
Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ rights movement continued to grow in the decades that followed. In 1971, the first national gay rights demonstration took place on Parliament Hill. By 1973, Pride Week had been established in cities across the country. Vancouver’s first official, city-approved Pride parade followed in 1981.
In the courts and in Parliament, progress continued. In 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Section 15 of the Charter (which guarantees equal protection and benefit under the law) must include sexual orientation, even though it is not explicitly listed. A year later, Parliament passed Bill C-33, adding sexual orientation to the Canadian Human Rights Act. The legislation affirmed that 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians are entitled to “an opportunity equal with other individuals to make for themselves the lives they are able and wish to have” as affirmed in Parliament’s justification for Bill C-33.
In 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, with Bill C-38 enshrining the right to civil marriage for all.
That progress, however, remains incomplete. This year’s Pride events come at a time when 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are once again under threat.
In April 2024, the Conservative Party of British Columbia introduced the Fairness in Women’s and Girls’ Sports Act, aimed at restricting transgender athletes from playing on teams aligned with their gender identity. The bill, which classified teams by “biological sex,” was voted down at first reading, with House Leader Ravi Kahlon calling it “hateful and discriminatory.”
Beyond legislation, there has been a rise in hostility toward transgender and gender-diverse people in B.C. A Vancouver City Council report in November 2023 cited growing threats, misinformation and fear-based rhetoric, including rallies against inclusive sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education.
The National Union of Public and General Employees has also noted that trans people, particularly those who are Black, Indigenous or people of colour, face some of the highest rates of violent crime in Canada.
These developments underscore the importance of events like Ladysmith Pride, which celebrate diversity and inclusion while providing a visible show of support for trans and gender-diverse people.
Pride is a time to come together, take up space and celebrate. On June 1, that looks like sharing food, music and community in Ladysmith.
Whether it’s your first Pride or your 50th, all are welcome to join the celebration.
For more details or to get involved, visit ladysmithpridesociety.com.
