JOSHUA ALLAN
The 1510 West

The first official celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the West Island is set to kick off this Saturday in Pointe Claire.

West Island Pride will be a one-day event featuring activities for all ages, genders and sexual orientations.

“Every single person that we spoke to kind of immediately said: ‘Hey, this sounds really wonderful. How do we get involved?’” said David Hawkins, executive director of the West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre, which is organizing the event.

“Just the fact that we had such a groundswell of community support without even having a firm plan told us that this is definitely the time to do it,” Hawkins continued.

The day will feature a community market with local vendors, artists, artisans and community organizations; musical sets by local MCs; Rainbow Story Time with drag performer Bambi Dexterous; as well as panels and special presentations aiming to educate event-goers about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. 

Despite the local support, Hawkins said a rise in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment across the country in recent years was another reason to organize the event.

An Ipsos poll in June revealed that support for LGBT+ visibility among Canadians has declined over the past three years. For example, belief that people from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community should be open about their sexual orientation notably dropped from 61 to 49 per cent between 2021 and this year.

“For us it was also important to make sure that we have a space locally that reminds people that they do belong here, and that there’s love and community and support here for people of all backgrounds,” Hawkins explained.

West Island Pride will be held at Edgewater Park, just off Lakeshore Road in Pointe Claire, on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance is free.