Written by Jannat Bhullar
On October 4th, the Thompson Rivers University Students Union, who have pioneered the Pride Parade at Thompson Rivers University, hosted the eleventh edition of the event. An embodiment of the message that Thompson Rivers University (TRU) is a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community and alias, it has thus played a pivotal role in creating momentum for there to be a broader Pride organizing in Kamloops.
An event organized by the Equity Committee of TRUSU in solidarity with the need to represent and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community at TRU, the eleventh edition of the TRUSU Pride Parade, happened on October 4, 2022, in front of the Old Main Building. The event serves as a reminder that TRU is a safe space for everyone year after year.
Elaborated upon by Nathan Lane, Executive Director of TRUSU, the first installment of the TRUSU Pride Parade happened before the occurrence of the actual Kamloops Pride Parade, making the initiative taken by the institution to be a pivotal moment in creating momentum and space for the resurgence of a wider Pride organizing in the city. As noticed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, there were signs of a strong Pride organizing taking place in the city of Kamloops, that fizzled out and died soon enough but was then sparked and revived by the creation of Pride activities on the TRU campus.
The first pride parade at TRU was entirely about showing people that the LGBTQ+ community existed on campus and that everyone was welcome on the lands of the institution. A declaration of a safe space for the community and its alias, the TRUSU Pride Parade, therefore, helped set a tone for the kind of safe space the institution wanted to be for the members of the LGBTQ+ community. However, the beginning days at TRU weren’t always the same. Providing insight from his experience, Nathan says that “equity issues and organizing are now embedded in TRU culture but that was not always the case. Pride Parade and other equity-based initiatives have played a really important role in helping the to start getting excited about that work and embed it into their regular operations.”
With the 11th Annual TRUSU Pride Parade having an attendance of approximately 150 people that consisted of students, faculty, staff, and eight community groups taking part in the resource fair held afterward, it is evident that the TRUSU Pride Parade has been successful in pushing people to get involved with events and activities that promote and support the LGBTQ+ community. Another initiative that runs on campus for the LGBTQ+ community is the TRU Pride Club. The club has recently voiced the need for a Pride Centre that would allow members and alias of the LGBTQ+ community to meet each other and access resources assisting with their mental, emotional, physical, and sexual well-being.
Dallas Odsen, the LGBTQ+ Representative on the Board of Directors, TRUSU, says that “the TRUSU Pride Parade aims to show that you, a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally, are safe here on campus and are accepted no matter how queer you are.”
The solidary of people can be seen out in full force when students, faculty, and community groups come together to march around campus, conveying the message the LGBTQ+ community exists on campus and is happily welcomed into the safe space the campus is for them. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community on campus, from his personal experience Dallas explains the environment at TRU to be a place where “I could just be myself, I could feel represented, and safe. It is a place where you can be yourself and this is the message that the TRUSU Pride Parade aims to deliver to others on campus as well.” A celebration for people identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQ+ community in Kamloops and on campus, the TRUSU Pride Parade is a signifier of the importance of equity, inclusivity, and belongingness for them as they have often been stigmatized and discriminated against.
The Vice President Equity on the Board of Directors, Adriana Herrera, describes the essence of Equity for the LGBTQ+ community on campus as the “establishment of respect and open-mindedness towards those belonging and supporting the LGBTQ+ community around us. Another aspect that is important for them is the acknowledgment of their mental, physical, and sexual wellbeing”. Equity being an ongoing process requires the attention and understanding of both the student body and the institution to see improvement and establish systems that allow the oppressed groups to have equitable access to education, employment, and resources that ensure their growth and safety.
Adriana’s message to members of the LGBTQ+ community is that “all human beings deserve to be loved and have access to education irrespective of their gender or sexual orientation. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t make anyone less than another instead, it completes an individual’s beauty uniquely.”
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