Central Alberta Pride Week starts on August 10th this year, and organizers are just putting the final touches on some of the events.

From Drag Shows to a Fruit Float to a Pride Worship Service, there is something for everyone this year as their events offer both entertainment as well as educational opportunities.

Board Chair for Central Alberta Pride Shannon Humphrey says even though they have come a long way, there are still groups of people who continue to spread hate and misinformation about the LGBTQ2+ community.

“We still do face challenges, like within the (provincial) election the kinds of policies that pertains specifically to our group, and we do kind of get some backlash every year with Pride Week, particularly with the rainbow crosswalk, and I think that just sort of illustrates why Pride is so important, because we do still have people out there who are spreading hate or misinformed on these topics.”

She says this week is about getting the important and accurate information out there as much as it is a celebration of all things LGBTQ2+.

“A lot of our events this year are educational. We got an event going on at the Golden Circle which is a recognition of the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, that one is kind of all about educating people on the history of pride and what it means to be queer, and just kind of combating that spread of misinformation.”

The Stonewall Riots, where a police raid at a Manhattan hotel turned into violent demonstrations by members of the gay community, is considered the catalyst of the Pride Movement.

Humphrey says the recent change in government stoked some fears about certain protections for LGBTQ2+ groups being rolled back, and for some people, pride is about making their voices heard.

“I think that people often forget is that Pride started as a riot, and it really ultimately was a protest, and there are some groups, you can see it more in Calgary and Edmonton, that are going back to that more, ‘Pride is a protest’ type standpoint.”

Central Alberta Pride Week runs from August 10th to the 18th, and the Pride Crosswalk should be painted by the 9th, weather depending.

You can click here to find more information about Central Alberta Pride Week, including a list of all the events at their website, centralablertapride.ca.