The festivities kicked off on Thursday and this year’s theme is RECONNECTION. Cape Breton lawyer Tuma Young is this year’s ambassador for Halifax Pride. (Victoria Welland/CBC) “We’ve come a long way and done a lot of good and now it’s time to use that power to lift others up.” said Tuma Young, this year’s Pride ambassador. “Now we need to turn the power of our pride community around and see how we can help Nova Scotia.” He estimated that there were as many as 30,000 people who followed the parade route on Saturday. Young is a two-spirit Mi’kmaw lawyer from Cape Breton and someone who has been an LGBTQ2+ community activist for decades. In 2021, Young was recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project. Young attended the first Halifax Pride parade in 1987 and said a lot has changed since then. During the first march, Young said some co-workers wore paper bags over their faces because it was legal at the time to fire someone because of their sexual orientation. The parade started at noon at Citadel High School. (Robert Guertin/CBC) Young said 75 people participated in the parade in 1987, noting that there were more people in line for juice and pop on Saturday than participated in the original parade. Now, Young’s community in Eskasoni along with other Mi’kmaw communities around Nova Scotia host their own Pride and Two-Spirit events. Thousands of spectators lined the streets to watch the parade. (Robert Guertin/CBC) In Halifax, the parade started near the Citadel High School. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces participated in the parade. (Robert Guertin/CBC) Several roads were closed to make room for the parade. Some transit routes were also affected during the parade.
Thousands turn out to watch the 35th annual Halifax Pride Parade
The first pride parade since the start of the pandemic arrived in Halifax on Saturday. The 35th Halifax Pride Parade was enthusiastically received by thousands of people who lined the streets of the city. MORE TOP STORIES
