Local artist organizes Port Moody’s first Pride festival
Port Moody has joined the list of Metro Vancouver municipalities that are marking Pride Month firsts this June.
Local resident Joyelle Goldbard, who performs and organizes events under the name GOLDbard Creative, invited the city to a giant “Coming Out Party” planned for June 17 at the Inlet Theatre.
Goldbard, who uses both gendered and gender-neutral pronouns, says she was inspired to create the event after seeing a group of Charles Best Secondary students petition for a Coquitlam Pride event.
“I could see there was a real hunger for queer communities that are just outside of Vancouver. Most of us are used to driving into the city for queer events, but what if we could have that at home?” Goldbard said in a statement issued Monday.
Goldbard is the producer of Supergay Cabaret, a show that “centres the expression of queer joy though comedy, burlesque, live music and poetry,” according to the release.
Following the success of the first two shows in North Vancouver, Goldbard says they decided to produce a third in Port Moody, which will follow the free Pride festival.
The all-ages, daytime event will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and include an art market, “activity stations” and a dance party with DJ Bella Sie.
The cabaret portion of the festival will start at 7 p.m. and feature burlesque, comedy, musical performances and a dance party with LVL collective—which is described as a bass super group
Goldbard says the hope for these events is that they become launching pads for new connections.
“That’s really what this is all about for me, people finding their people,” said Goldbard, who came out as gay shortly before the pandemic hit and has faced logistical challenges when it comes to fostering queer community.
This month is also the first year that a Pride flag will be flown outside Surrey City Hall, thought the Surrey Pride Society has existed for 24 years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.