The Edmonton Gay Pride Parade, 2003

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word champion as a winner of first prize or first place in a competition. With this definition in mind, it is clear why Edmonton is called the City of Champions. Champions such as Wayne Gretzky, the Eskimos, the Oilers and many more sustain the claim of Edmonton as City of Champions. The dictionary also defines champion as one that does battle for another’s rights or honour. Edmonton is full of unnamed champions, the people who make a difference and go unnoticed.


In 2003, there were a number of champions, both in our city and across Canada, who provided a reason to celebrate. These champions made a difference no matter how small the victory was. 2003 brought a higher attention to lesbian and gay issues locally and throughout Canada. The Ontario court ruled gay marriage legal, and the Government of Canada chose not to appeal the ruling. In addition, Mayor Bill Smith reluctantly proclaimed gay pride after refusing to for seven years. This meant there were a number of reasons to celebrate for all the victories both large and small of those who championed the cause of equal treatment for all.


For me, the celebration took on a more personal note. At the pride parade on that warm Sunday morning, I began to ponder the hard work by Michael Phair and many others who worked so hard to get Mayor Bill Smith to sign a piece of paper proclaiming pride week. Mayor Smith adamantly refused to offer a proclamation for so long and now under the threat of legal proceedings, he reluctantly chose to sign. There was never any hesitation for him to proclaim Hip Hip Hooray Week or the many other proclamations issued to various community groups through out the year. What made gay pride different? After all, was this not a celebration of diversity and the success of equal rights? Perhaps in his mind, this cause was not as glamorous or as worthy of proclamation such as hip replacement week. Whatever his reason, Pride Week 2003 was proclaimed and the celebrations were a foot.


Thoughts of these champions soon drifted to my personal achievements over the past years. There were many reasons for me to celebrate what I had accomplished from the struggles of my own life.


I had only lived in Edmonton for a couple years, but in that time I went through a voyage of self-discovery. During this time, I came to the acceptance that I was gay. If I were to continue to pretend otherwise I would be lying to myself and denying me a truly happy existence.


Being gay is not easy, nor is being different from others. After struggling with the questions and the denials, I came to understand myself more and started to feel comfortable in my own skin. When you’re gay, people’s reaction to you can vary from unconditional acceptance that being gay is a part of what makes you the person you are, to utter disgust and hatred. Unlike visible minorities, when you’re gay you can hide in the shadows and remain closeted. Of course, this can be problematic and has many negative aspects.


Opening up to my friends was one of the largest challenges I faced after the initial hurdle of accepting I was different. My friends were predictably understanding and accepting. Some even suspected long before I told them. The hardest part was not the actual telling element, but the revelation that I had been deceiving them for many years. A person who lies to their friends is no friend themselves and thus is why it was especially hard to come out to them.


Coming out is an everyday challenge. You meet new people everyday that may or may not be as accepting as your friends are. I recall an incident the previous year during the pride celebrations. I was walking with a friend along Whyte Ave to the Pride Dance. We were dressed the same as other people on Whyte; the only difference was I had a small rainbow flag sticker on my arm. While window shopping a man walked passed us pushing his two-year-old daughter in a stroller. Out of nowhere, he turned and started screaming at us words best not repeated. I will never understand how two people window-shopping on Whyte could offended him so much that he would attempt to start a fight in front of his family. Both of us stood in shock while he screamed at us. My only thoughts were thinking about how sad this man is that he can only demonstrate hatred in front of his daughter and which way to run to safety. I wish I had been brave enough to stand up to this hatred and be more of a champion. To this day, my friend Jen is still thinking of remarks she could have shouted back. Although I am sure this would only have increased his spontaneous hatred, it would have been nice to champion my human rights on that day celebration.


My personal voyage has not been easy and is far from over. There have been many personal victories and a few setbacks along the way, yet I have continued on this journey. Arthur Ashe said it best with: “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”


Reflecting on these thoughts, I recalled my co-workers conversations from around the water cooler that week. They would say “What does it matter if they are gay or lesbian as long as they lead their lives out of sight?” and “Why do they need a parade, there isn’t a straight parade.”


Why should there be a pride week celebration? Why should the mayor proclaim this event opposed to the many others he regularly provides proclamations for? What does it matter? Well it matters a lot!


Pride week is a time to celebrate differences and diversity. It is a time to celebrate the struggles to be treated fairly like others. It’s a chance to celebrate who we were are, whether it be gay, straight, or somewhere in-between. For me it was a chance to celebrate the everyday struggles I’ve encountered and overcome.


It wasn’t until the Edmonton Pride Parade in 2003 that I could fully understand the definition of this word, champion. All the personal struggles that each Edmontonian goes through is what makes each one of us champions. It is now clear to me why Edmonton is the City of Champions.