Thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Kelowna on Saturday for a march which made its way from Stuart Park to City Park, all in the name of pride.
From rainbow crosswalks to Mayor Sugarplum getting attention from across the country, many say Kelowna has transformed when it comes to pride.
But it wasn’t that long ago that the local pride parade was considered a controversial event.
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These days however, thousands of people, including politicians, are lining up to take part.
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“Canada is an inclusive country and we’ve seen the lesbian, bi and trans-sexual communities in U.S. targeted in Orlando, I think it’s a positive message for local, elected leaders to be here,” said MP for Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Dan Albas.
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Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr was the marshall for the We Are One march; and for the first time in the local event’s history, the premier was also on hand.
“I want people in B.C. and Canada to know that our government really supports the human rights that everybody has. No one should suffer from discrimination,” premier Christy Clark said.
While there have been many strides, Kelowna mayor Colin Basran said there’s still a long way to go.
“Some people still aren’t comfortable being who they are and that I have a real problem with,” Basran said.
About 4,700 people took part in the pride march.