Vancouver Pride: The Streets Of Vancouver

Vancouver Dept: As we march through the streets of Vancouver with our rainbow flags, short shorts, costumes, and feather boas, we remember that during the other 364 days of the year, walking down the same streets with the people we love can take a great amount of courage. Equality written into law is far from equality ingrained in society, according to Vancouver Sun. When almost 700,000 people take to the streets in the largest parade and festival in the city, we send a clear message that the contributions of queer people are an integral part of this Vancouver. When politicians of all stripes and stature join Vancouver's queer community and hundreds of thousands of allies for over 30 years of celebration without a single incident, we tell the world exactly what we stand for: peace, love, and equality. When images of hundreds of thou-sands of queer people, their families, and their children are proudly printed, emailed, or posted online, we remind the world that "queer people" are simply "people." We all have the right to celebrate who we are and who we were born to be. That is what Vancouver Pride 2012 is all about: the people who nurture us, and the com-munities that encourage us to express ourselves in a loving environment free from hate or fear. Queer equality has come so far, so fast, that we forget how new and fragile our rights really are. In just a few short decades, the queer community has made several lifetimes' worth of accomplishments. However, Canada's impermanent and imperfect equality is so fresh that it can easily be stripped away. We must stay vigilant to ensure the fine line between equal and unequal is never swayed by misguided political will or misinformed popular opinion. Titans of our com-munity who fought for equality are hanging up their hats after winning battles the world thought were unwinnable. Our community cannot forget their struggles and we absolutely can-not become complacent. Pride is, by every definition, a protest. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.