Guelph Pride is an

LGBT pride In the context of LGBTQ culture, pride (also known as LGBTQ pride, LGBTQIA pride, LGBT pride, queer pride, gay pride, or gay and lesbian pride) is the promotion of the rights, self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility o ...

festival, held annually in

Guelph Guelph ( ; 2021 Canadian Census population 143,740) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Known as The Royal City, it is roughly east of Kitchener, Ontario, Kitchener and west of Downtown Toronto, at the intersection of Ontario Highway 6, ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

."Guelph seniors centre hosts Pride Week discussion"
''

Guelph Mercury The ''Guelph Mercury'' was an English language daily newspaper published in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It published a mix of community, national and international news and is owned by the Torstar Corporation. The newspaper, in many incarnations, ...

'', May 9, 2013. Organized by the Guelph Pride Committee with the assistance of Out on the Shelf, the city's local LGBT library and resource centre,"Taking pride in diversity"
'' The Ontarion'', February 13, 2013. the event takes place in May each year."Pride flag hoisted at Guelph city hall to officially launch Pride Week"
MSN Canada, May 7, 2013. The event generally takes place as the first Pride celebration in the

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a Region, primary region of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada, with approximately 13.5 million people, approximately 36% o ...

region each summer. Held for the first time in 2003, the event celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013. Prior to the launch of its own Pride festival, Guelph held events as part of

Waterloo Region The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Waterloo Region or Region of Waterloo) is a metropolitan area of Southern Ontario, Canada. It contains the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo (KWC or Tri-Cities), and the townships of North Dumfri ...

tri-Pride Tri-Pride, stylized tri-Pride, is an annual non-profit lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Pride festival in the Waterloo Region of Ontario, encompassing the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo. Prior to the launch of Gu ...

. tri-Pride and its former name Waterloo-Wellington Regional Pride Committee with a number of community partners assisted with the transition to create Guelph's own pride festival committee In 2013, the organization also launched Winter Pride, a smaller separate program of events which takes place in February. The organization is well-supported by community leaders. Former mayor

Karen Farbridge Karen J. Farbridge is a Canadian politician, the former Mayor and a former City Councillor of the city of Guelph, Ontario. Personal life Farbridge was born in Woking, England the oldest of three siblings. When she was three years old, she m ...

has officiated the official raising of the

rainbow flag A rainbow flag is a multicolored flag consisting of the colors of the rainbow. The designs differ, but many of the colors are based on the seven spectral colors of the visible light spectrum. History In the 18th century, American Revolutionary ...

to kick off the event, and

Liz Sandals Liz Sandals (née MacNaughton; born ) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Guelph—Wellington and Guelph. She served in cabinet ...

, the city's provincial MPP, has also attended events and supported the organization."Pride picnic revival planned". ''

The Record The Record may refer to: Music * The Record (Fear album), ''The Record'' (Fear album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Record (Boygenius album), ''The Record'' (Boygenius album), a 2023 studio album by the indie rock supe ...

'', May 29, 2006. The organization also works to help build and develop LGBT resources throughout

Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario (census population 2,796,367 in 2021) is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula, bounded by Lake Huron (includ ...

; in 2011, they donated several hundred books to the Thames Art Gallery in Chatham to help build a local LGBT library and archive."Exhibit takes a look at local LGBTQ history, culture". '' Chatham This Week'', December 7, 2011. Unlike many larger pride festivals, Guelph Pride does not currently hold a

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

, instead focusing on a more modest program of family and community events. Its weeklong program of events currently culminates in an afternoon family fair at the city's West End Community Centre on the final weekend, followed by a pride dance in the evening.

References

External links

Guelph Pride
{{LGBT in Canada LGBTQ festivals in Ontario Festivals in Guelph 2003 establishments in Ontario 2003 in LGBTQ history