White and Wings: Pinoy Pride Vancouver Joins the 39th Vancouver Pride Parade
For Immediate Release – August 1, 2017 – Vancouver, BC – A record number of spectators and participants are expected to attend the annual Vancouver Pride Parade on August 6th, Sunday at the West End district.
The parade begins promptly at 12 Noon on Robson and Thurlow streets and heads down to Denman Street and goes all the way to Pacific Street and Beach Avenue to the site of the Sunset Beach Festival, the post-parade party central for the participants.
Among the many entrants is Pinoy Pride Vancouver, an all-inclusive LGBTQ+ group for Filipino-Canadians that aims to increase visibility raise awareness and promote acceptance of its members and also provide a safe, respectful space for everyone.
In line with Vancouver Pride Society’s theme of “My Pride” for the Pride Celebrations, the group’s marchers will be wearing all-white ensembles with messages of positivism, acceptance, and diversity emblazoned on custom-made wings.
Pinoy Pride Vancouver is marching at the 2017 Vancouver Pride Parade for our Filipino LGBTQ+ siblings in the Philippines who are pushing for the full passage of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, also known as the SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression) Equality Bill, that passed its third reading in Philippine Congress this year.
House Bill Number 257 was introduced by Representative Geraldine Roman (Bataan First District) of the Philippine Congress. The Bill “seeks to define, prohibit and penalize situations and practices wherein discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity occur. It also aims to protect members of the Filipino LGBT community and guarantee their rights as citizens of the Republic of the Philippines and their rights as human beings.”
For PPV Co-chair Stella Reyes, Pride means we can choose whom we want to love. No restrictions. “Every year, we try to be visible to remind everyone that we are very lucky to have a more liberal attitude towards the LGBTQ+ community here in Canada. Unfortunately, our kababayans (fellow countrymen) back home in the Philippines are still trying to pass an Anti Discrimination Bill for more than 16 years now.”
PPV Co-chair Gary Lising, who has been out to family and friends for twenty-seven years, says that the coming out process is an intimate journey, it is the awakening of self. He compares his experience to an onion, “as I peel layers of my sexuality, the core tastes juicier and sweeter but some tears will also be shed. I still have not reached the inner core. I can only encourage others to relish the process and to be gentle with themselves.”
Reyes adds, “we need to have more groups like PPV to educate and to enlighten our community that LGBTQ+ rights are also human rights. We should all strive to celebrate equality.”
Pinoy Pride Vancouver has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help the group in their successful participation in this year’s Pride Parade. Here is the link if you want to give your support: https://www.gofundme.com/pinoy-pride-vancouver-pride-2017/donate
Come and help the group show the world what it means to have Pinoy Pride!
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PRIDE PRADE DAY INFO: PPV needs 20 volunteer-marchers for the parade entry to take off. They will provide your wings and the materials if you want to design your own wings with a personal Pride-inspired message.
Pinoy Pride’s parade entry number is BN18 (Zone B, North, Slot 18).
The meeting point between 10:30-11:30 am on Robson between Burrard and Thurlow Streets. Marchers must arrive by 11:45 am.
Look for “winged creatures” in the area. Latecomers may not be let in when the gates close.
Pinoy Pride will post updates on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pinoypride.vancouver/
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About Pinoy Pride Vancouver
Established on May 4, 2010, Pinoy Pride Vancouver is the first Filipino-Canadian LGBTQ group of its kind in British Columbia.
The group was created to encourage understanding and acceptance of, as well as provide support to LGBTQ members within the Filipino community. The organization brings together families, friends, allies, and supporters to promote inclusiveness.
PPV stands in solidarity with everyone fighting for the protection against oppression and discrimination of the LGBTQ community.
For more information, contact:
Stella Reyes/Gary Lising
Pinoy Pride Vancouver
(778)865-5982 / (778)839-7795
pinoypridevan@yahoo.ca
