50 Ways: Celebrating with Feminist PRIDE!

We are fresh off the 31st+ annual Charlottetown PRIDE parade, and still feeling the joy and energy as well as the need to be visible and insist on 2SLGBTQ+ rights. The community has certainly come a long way from the frightening, threatening, and shame-filled early days when we meekly asserted our right to be seen and heard. But we remember those years and know that we are in regressive times once again in Canada and the US. And we always remember that in many places and countries, 2SLGBTQ+ people face life-threatening discrimination every day. We march to hold the space; to let everyone know that they are worthy of love and loving, and to hold fast to our hard-fought advances in equality.

Jane and I (Michelle) were thinking back to when we started representing Feminist Pride in the parade. We were noting and lamenting the overwhelming presence of corporate sponsors and their (often) self-serving monetary interest in queer rights. We also noted that the many years of activism and solidarity of the women’s community with the queer community were not well represented. Additionally, we are evolving our own understanding and experience of equality to embrace transwomen and all trans and gender non-binary folks under the banner of feminism. So, we conceived the Feminist Pride walking group! Leaders from Women’s Network, Family Violence Prevention, PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre, and the Coalition for Women’s Leadership (then the Coalition for Women in Government) were enthusiastic, and “Bonbon the gender unicorn” was adopted as our mascot for Pride Parade.

A funny backstory to Bonbon is that as we were talking about a banner image of the gender unicorn infographic created by Landyn Pan and Anna Moore of Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), I quipped that “There is even a candy at their crotch!” To which it was pointed out that, “Actually Michelle, that is a double helix, symbolizing DNA!“ Obviously, the unicorn had to be named Bonbon. We are grateful to TSER for sharing permission to use their brilliant image: https://transstudent.org/gender/

Over the years, we have had a happy variety of folks join our crew – from members of our Council and board members of sister feminist organizations, to political allies and Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women, to our own kids, partners and family members – all are welcome! And we’ve become a kind of catch-all for individuals looking for a welcoming space to walk in the parade.

In 2020, during those awful COVID times when a public march through the streets was not possible, we were determined to celebrate somehow and made Feminist Pride shirts for photos.

As a staff member, I am very proud of the initiatives that the Advisory Council has taken to lead gender and feminist equality for all people, including 2SLGBTQ+ Islanders. I have remarked many times over the past decade that the ACSW was the first place I could actually bring my whole self to my workplace. Where my sexual identity and orientation was not just tolerated but welcomed as integral to who I am and seen as an advantage. I am grateful. Council is better for having my lesbian queer perspective.

As we continue to celebrate Pride Week in PEI, let us all be grateful that there are so many ways to celebrate the queer community in 2025. Grateful that PRIDE PEI is a growing, thriving, inclusive organization building a strong legacy. However we identify, we can all celebrate the wins, the advances and the freedoms that we’ve taken back, knowing that the entire Island community is better for it. A community that is more loving, more safe, more equal, more FUN! Happy Pride PEI!!