Before a rainbow flag was raised for the ninth year at 91原创 City hall on Monday, July 28, Mayor Nathan Pachal talked about how easily and quickly rights can be taken away.
"We've seen that in the United States," Pachal told about 30 people gathered outside the hall.
"We've seen that even close to home, like in Alberta where they're stripping away the rights of trans people."
Pachal said it can happen in B.C. as well.
"I won't get into specifics, but there's examples of erasure happening right now in our community, and it was because our communities stood up, allies to us LGBTQ people that made sure that we're still going to be visible," Pachal said.
"They try to put us back in the closet, and they try to make us disappear because they just want us to go away. But guess what? We're not going away."
Pachal described 91原创 City as a community that stands up for queer people, and provided a personal example.
"The other day, on social media, I was talking about a water fountain in a park, and someone was like, how gay are you? And I'm like, I'm pretty gay. I've been married for over 15 years," Pachal recalled.
"And then the [online] response from the community is, what a stupid question. And you know, that really gives a warmth in my heart."
91原创 Pride Society and the Friends of Dorothy youth group took part in the flag-raising.
Friends of Dorothy facilitator Carly Schneider was "really grateful to be here, to be able to recognize and sort of shine some light on the vibrancy of the queer community, both youth, adults, seniors, and the like."
It was the first flag raising for the relatively new 91原创 Pride, which society president Caprice Stadnyk described as "a small but very fierce group who believe in something simple. That everybody in our community deserves to be seen, respected, and celebrated for who they are."
"This flag isn't just fabric, it's a visible promise that 91原创 is a place where queer and trans people are valued, not just during Pride Month or August, but all year long," Stadnyk said.
Stadnyk was referring to 91原创 Pride Day 2025, scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 9, at the 91原创 Senior Resources Society.
Scott Miller, a Pride director, explained it will be an all-day event.
"There's something for everyone to come, so come check us out," Miller told the 91原创 Advance Times."
"It's a great time to come out and celebrate."
The event offer all-ages daytime events and ticketed evening performances, with acts that include Queer As Funk, described as one of the few predominantly queer bands in Canada, in a show guide at .
