Vancouver Pride Week kicked off on Monday with a proclamation from Mayor Gregor Robertson, but the event is not going ahead without a fair share of controversy.

The theme for this year's event is "better together," but not everyone feels included.

Black Lives Matter Vancouver has said it will not take part because it doesn't feel the event is inclusive for queer black people, people of colour and indigenous communities. The group recently wrote an open letter saying that they believe police shouldn't march in the parade because it creates an unsafe atmosphere.

But Robertson said the police are expected to march in the weekend's Pride Parade as they have for the last two decades.

Pride organizers don't expect BLM Vancouver to disrupt the event as Black Lives Matter Toronto did when they brought that city's parade to a halt with a sit-in earlier this month.

"Black Lives Matter Vancouver have said that they don't plan to participate in the parade here and we respect that decision, so we don't expect a disruption like that," Vancouver Pride Society President Alan Jernigan said.

Black Lives Matter Vancouver declined an interview request from CTV News but did say they are involved in ongoing discussions with the police and the Pride Society.

Meanwhile in Victoria Monday, the BC Liberals table legislation to amend the Human Rights Code to specifically protect transgender people.

"Everyone deserves respect in our society and our caucus believes that," Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said.

The amendment came five years after it was initially proposed by an NDP MLA. Vancouver-West End representative Spencer Chandra-Herbert has brought forward similar changes four times since 2011, but the Liberals rejected them each time.

"The cynic would say we have an election coming up really soon and the government wants to be in the Pride parade, which they were banned from last year," Chandra-Herbert said of the apparent about-face.

One politician who will be taking part this year is Justin Trudeau who will become the first sitting prime minister to march in the Vancouver parade.

Trudeau marched in the parade last year on the first day of the federal election campaign.