After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, UBC and the Pride Collective are planning in-person events for Pride this month.
Pride is celebrated each June to commemorate the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, a key event in the fight for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights.
One in-person event happening this month is a UBC Drag show on June 8 at Koerner’s Pub hosted by the Pride Collective.
The Pride Collective — an AMS resource group focussed on supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ students — started hosting biweekly drag shows this past school year to create “more Queer nightlife and Queer art” at UBC, according to Jasper Berehulke, the group’s head illustrator.
While in the past the Pride Collective has hosted large in-person events year round and for Pride, Berehulke said the group has struggled to reinstate these events even as public health restrictions ease.
“While we wanted to [host events], it was hard because no one knew how to do an event anymore.”
He said the Collective was also planning virtual events and content for Pride, including online discussion groups similar to those hosted in-person during the academic year.
Berehulke also plans to create a zine about Pride Month to be released through the Collective. He said submissions are currently open for students who wish to contribute.
The university is also planning in-person events for the end of July to align with the Vancouver Pride Parade, according to Rachael Sullivan, an equity education strategist with the Equity and Inclusion Office (EIO). One event is a roller skating party on July 22 in collaboration with alumni UBC.
Sullivan said that the university has created a page dedicated to providing information not only about Pride events taking place on and off campus, specifically focusing on events in Vancouver and Kelowna.
The importance of Indigenous cultural practices and ways of understanding, particularly with regards to Two Spirit and Indigiqueer identities, was emphasized by Sullivan when celebrating Pride on UBC’s Vancouver campus.
She added that the EIO is working with campus partners on potential Pride events in September as students return for the winter term.
“Even though Pride happens once a year, it’s important that everybody do their part ... and ensure that we make UBC inclusive and welcoming for everyone.”