June is the beginning of celebrating Pride Season in Canada, where Pride events take place country-wide from June until September.
During this time, 2SLGBTQI+ communities come together to spotlight resilience and celebrate the contributions of community members both locally and beyond.
The origins of Pride began as large scale protests for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. In 1971 the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver. The movement continued to gain steam and by 1973 events were held across the country.
Despite these gains, the 2SLGBTQI+ community still faces stigma and negative bias from those outside the community. The spirit of the protests can never fully be removed from a community that continues to juggle living their truth during increasingly difficult times.
Barriers to Equality
Despite fifty years of activism and demonstrations for equality, the 2SLGBTQI+ community faces gaps in health care both locally and nationally. The search for safe and inclusive care can involve extra steps and considerations for 2SLGBTQI+ people from getting access to basic care to facing difficulties with planning or accessing support. At the NWHS we are committed to easing the way towards equity in end-of-life care for all.
Resources
Celebrate with Pride
Celebrating pride season in New West involved an entire week of events, celebrations, and learning opportunities.
Pride Week: August 7 – 17, 2025
Pride Street Festival: August 16, 3 – 10 PM
Join us in during Pride Week for a series of blog posts highlighting resources centering the 2SLGBTQI+ community and experiences.
What do the letters mean?
2SLGBTQI+ is an acronym that seeks to represent everyone who belongs to sexually and gender-diverse communities.
2S: Two-Spirit is an Indigenous identity recognizing sexual and gender diversity
L: Lesbian
G: Gay
B: Bisexual
T: Trans
Q: Queer
I: Intersex
+: represents additional groups as our understanding and terminology grows to be more inclusive