'We will not allow them to masquerade as allies': Queen City Pride bans Sask. Party MLAs from parade
CBC
An organizer with Regina's Pride parade says she was surprised to get an application from the governing Saskatchewan Party asking to take part in the event next month.
Riviera Bonneau, co-chair for Queen City Pride, says it was hard to understand why some legislature members would want to march in the parade, when their actions over the last year contradict support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
"We all felt a little frustrated and confused and a little ick about it," Bonneau said Monday.
"You can't pretend you're our ally, join our parade and do this whole thing while actively hurting members of our community."
Queen City Pride announced Monday it has barred Saskatchewan Party politicians from participating in Pride festivities because of a law that prevents children under 16 from changing their names or pronouns at school without parental consent.
Premier Scott Moe's government passed the legislation last year, arguing parents should have a role in decisions their children make at school.
Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill told reporters at the legislature that it's an unfortunate situation, but that he stands by the work the government did to get the law passed.
"I'm not a resident of the city of Regina. Quite frankly, I didn't even know when the parade was supposed to happen this year. But, obviously it's too bad," he said Monday.
"Obviously, when we have large provincial events, it's something that we hope that everybody is able to attend."
Cockrill said he sees the bill as one that tries to include people, not exclude them.
"I understand, for many, it was a challenging topic. At the end of the day though, I feel quite comfortable with the fact that we've legislated the ability for parents to be involved in important conversations and decisions in a child's life," he said.
Queen City Pride also announced it will not hold a flag-raising ceremony with MLAs outside the legislature for Pride month.
"We will not allow them to masquerade as allies and supporters, then put our community in danger for the other eleven months of the year," the organization said in a news release.
Bonneau said the ban isn't meant to be exclusionary.
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