I spent part of my B.C. Day long weekend this year taking in the sights at Vancouver's pride parade, a first for me.
From the outside, it looks like a party like no other. It rivals every other event I think of for colour, music and jubilance. But underneath the flashy and fun surface, there is a more serious and noble pursuit - the fight for acceptance and equal rights.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons took part in the parade, zipping back and forth on the parade route on a novelty bicycle alongside other provincial and federal New Democrats.
"I think it's important to remember that pride is actually a protest, and it's public awareness, and it's not always completely a celebration," he said.
Indeed, the Vancouver Pride Society's motto is "Educate, Liberate, Celebrate."
Simons reminded me that it has not been that long since gays and sexual minorities faced persecution, both from the community and the governments that purported to represent them -and that still is the case in many countries of the world.
From being treated as criminals to being treated as mentally ill, it wasn't until the 1969 Stonewall Riots of New York City that the gay community united and stood up after centuries of persecution.
Forty years later, that spirit lives on in the modern pride marches and festivals, and the chance to celebrate past victories and show pride in oneself have grown as a result.
Simons sees both the importance of celebrating pride and remaining ever vigilant to protect rights.
"It doesn't take much for rights to be removed, and I think we have to maintain a little bit of pressure to make sure we don't go backwards in terms of rights," he said.
This weekend marks the first ever Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride weekend on the Sunshine Coast. Both Sechelt and Gibsons councils proclaimed this weekend "pride weekend" at meetings in June and July, noting contributions the LGBT community has made.
There are no two-hour long parades planned, and it probably won't draw in the same record setting 600,000 people who attended Vancouver's pride parade, but no positive gesture in the name of inclusion and progressiveness is ever a waste.
Other small towns across B.C. and Canada already have marked a day, week or weekend on the calendar each year for recognizing, appreciating and welcoming the LGBT community.
No parade - but there is a Diversity Dance being put on by Sappho's Circle and the Sunshine Coast Gay and Lesbian Association on Saturday night at Roberts Creek Hall.
Simons said he is pleased to see the Sunshine Coast's two municipalities get on board with pride.
"I think we live in an extremely tolerant part of the province, and I'm grateful for that, and I'm proud of that. I think we can actually send a message around to others to say that we are inclusive communities. We welcome everybody, and it makes our lives richer," he said. "Pride is just a time where people have the opportunity, straights and others, to get together and say, 'Let's just celebrate the fact that we all live in a diverse community' and not be threatened by it."
Take some time this weekend to reflect on your thoughts and preconceptions about your LGBT friends, family and neighbours.
It's a cliché and I hate to do it, but I will close with a famous quote.
In his 1956 novel Sirens of Titan, Kurt Vonnegut wrote: "A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved."
Makes it pretty simple, doesn't it?
