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The Pride Society says the decision was made to pull the VPL’s parade entry because of their decision to provide Murphy a platform for “transphobic hate speech.” The society says concerns were raised by community members and allies before and after the event, and the VPL was informed that it wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the parade unless it changed its policies.

In a statement, library staff said they were “disappointed about this decision,” and added that staff were welcome to participate in the parade as members and allies of the LGBTQ2+ community. The VPL also cited free speech as a reason for its decision.

“As a public institution, VPL is committed to providing a venue where diverse ideas and opinions can be shared and discussed. We feel that it is through exposure to different ideas and opinions that society can make informed choices about their core beliefs.”

The library acknowledged that allowing Murphy to speak has resulted in losing the trust of LGBTQ2+ people.

“We hope to regain that trust as we continue our long-standing commitment to promoting dialogue and raising marginalized voices through our programs and services,” the VPL said in the statement.

The Pride Society’s executive director, Andrea Arnot, said after the decision about UBC that many people said they should keep the politics out of Pride. But “Pride was born from resistance led by trans women of colour. Pride has always been political,” said Arnot.

Arnot said they will continue to honour the spirit of Pride by taking a strong stance against discrimination even when the stance is unpopular.

With files from Zak Vescera