The City of Victoria has kicked off Pride Week with the raising of five separate flags at city hall. Now flying on the flagpole are the rainbow pride flag, the transgender flag, the gender queer flag and the non-binary flag.
“We know our community is as strong as it is diverse,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said. “In the ’80s it was OK just to say the gay community or the queer community. But as we learn more about each other and we learn about queer people who are like us and not like us we grow as a community.”
This was the first year Victoria has raised all five flags to represent the LGBTQ community. Two spirit elder Laurie McDonald was one of the community members who participated at the flag raising. The red-and-white with rainbow feathers flag has never flown outside Victoria City Hall for Pride Week and honours Indigenous people who carry multiple genders within themselves.
WATCH HERE: Dozens flock to Taber for Pride after last year’s rainbow flag was burned
“Our people have a proud history. We are proud Indigenous people coming from all 265 Indigenous Nations across this country and we have the right of being who we are,” McDonald said.
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The raising of the pride flags marks the kick-off of more than a week of celebrations and events across Victoria. The signature event is the July 8 pride parade and festival hosted by the Victoria Pride Society.
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Trans-advocate Hope Warren hopes the inclusion of all five flags sends a powerful message.
“I think we live in a society based on assumptions,” Warren said. “Some of the things that all of us can do to participate in inclusivity is not make so many assumptions.
“Just making sure we are comfortable with many identities and we are familiar with those identities.”
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