DON’T HIDE YOUR PRIDE!! UNCAGE YOUR RAGE!!
July 29, 2011 – Assemble at 5pm. March at 6pm.
Trans Pride is a political protest and a celebration of our diverse lives! Please invite your friends and share and promote this important event!
MARCH DETAILS:
We will gather in Nelson Park 5:00pm.
1030 Bute St. (On Comox between Thurlow and Bute)
Look for the big, colourful crowd and won’t miss us.
Wear what you want – and feel free to be fabulous! Costumes encouraged!
Bring your own signs! Use some of ours! Make your own in the park! (supplies provided)
March starts at 6:00pm.
We will end at Emery Barnes Park at Davie Street/Richards Street to chill out, listen to speakers and hear some amazing music produced by community members.
~
We seek to ensure a fully inclusive and anti-oppressive space. Learn about anti oppression basics at http://opirg.ca/ao/http://opirg.ca/ao/.
ALLIES ARE ENTHUSIASTICALLY INVITED AND WELCOME!!!
**WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS MARCH IS BEING HELD ON UN-CEDED COAST SALISH (Musqueam/Tsleil-Waututh/Squamish) TERRITORY**
NOTE ABOUT PERMISSION:
This march is taking place without a march permit from the City of Vancouver or paid police services. We have the right and freedom to peacefully assemble and associate in public space and the constitutionally guaranteed freedom to express ourselves. Let’s do just that! In large numbers!
Marchers uncomfortable with the unauthorized aspect of the march are encouraged to enthusiastically participate by marching on the sidewalk.
Volunteer March Marshals will be handing traffic control. They will be identifiable by coloured armbands. Please approach them with any concerns, safety or otherwise.
CELEBRATION:
This march is an opportunity for trans people to be celebrated, through an assembly in peace, joy and solidarity, in order to loudly and proudly express their pride in themselves as trans people and their pride in their community, as well as an opportunity for families, friends, lovers, allies and comrades of trans people to express their pride and support for us. What’s there to celebrate?
- Trans people are beautiful, brilliant and creative!
- The diverse ways trans people define and express our genders.
- Trans people’s bodies are beautiful in all our forms.
- Trans people are strong, resourceful and resilient, despite a host of barriers to our dignity and freedom!
- Trans people’s long, often unmentioned, history of protest and activism.
- Trans people are SEXY AS HELL!
- We stand in solidarity for the safety & dignity of all sex workers
- YOU know what you want to celebrate! Express it!!
PROTEST:
This march is a platform for expression of outrage and dissatisfaction with the ongoing policing, exclusion, erasure and oppression of trans and gender non-conforming people by various social, legal and community institutions. Make some noise and let the world know what you think about how trans people get treated!
- Violence: social, institutional and physical violence against our minds, bodies and souls.
- Bullying at school, on the job, by the police and by our governments.
- Erasure from social histories, despite the fact that we have always been here and always will be!
- Denial of express protections against discrimination, harassment, hate-crimes and hate speech in federal and provincial legislation!
- Legal, administrative and institutional failures to recognize and respect our gender identities and accord us the dignity we deserve and demand!
- Employment, housing/shelter and educational insecurity and marginalization!
- Inadequate medical services (e.g. Phalloplasty coverage NOW, yo!)
- Oppressive delivery of medical services! Gate-keep much?
- Horrific and harassing treatment by police and by the corrections system!
- A federal government that is in CONTEMPT OF COURT for refusing to comply with a binding Federal Court ruling that says that trans prisoners in the federal corrections system are entitled to Sex Reassignment Surgery while incarcerated!
- YOU know what you’re mad as hell about! Express it!!
ACCESSIBILITY:
The march starts at Nelson Park and ends at Emery Barnes Park, which means you should expect a march of 9-10 city blocks (of varying lengths) from start to finish. There will be a slight downhill trend to the route. Starting and ending points are city parks that are fully accessible to wheelchairs. Exit to/from the march for wheelchairs once the march is underway will be via city curb-cuts. We wish to ensure that no marcher is left behind, so we will be inviting slower-moving marchers (whether by reason of age, mobility challenge or otherwise) to take the lead and be at the front of the march. We will try to ensure that the march does not pass those slower-moving marchers. That’s important, so let’s all be mindful of that.
We will not be renting portable toilets for the start or end locations, however, various washroom-offering establishments are located near the start point, along the route, and at the end point. At the end point, there is a single-stall washroom at the park and a wheelchair accessible washroom across the street at a coffee shop.
Please note that the placards to be provided will have cedar handles, so be aware of this if you are allergic or sensitive to cedar. Please note also that for people who will require the use of both hands while marching (e.g. folks using a walker), we will endeavour to provide you with a sandwich-board type set-up so that you can still carry forward the message you want to express.
This is a scent-free event! Please refrain from wearing anything that emits scents or odours that would aggravate those with scent-sensitivities.
