Like many Albertans, I was dismayed by the hateful events at Fort Macleod Pride last weekend. One constructive response is to support future Fort Macleod Pride programming through a donation: e-transfer to fmpride.payments@gmail.com.
Another response is to lean into community—it truly sustains us. Thirty-five years ago, Project Pride, a relatively new Calgary organization, hosted a softball tournament and dance at the end of August called Connection ’88. Through uniting many disparate groups, Project Pride’s events gained momentum at a time that was decidedly more hostile to queers than today—all the while during a worsening pandemic decimating the gay male community (AIDS). Project Pride eventually blossomed into the organization we know as Calgary Pride.
As we go into a busy Pride weekend in Calgary, I have been reflecting on a Sinead O’Connor song I was obsessed with when I started the Calgary Gay History Project in 2012. Called Something Beautiful, I find it especially poignant now that Sinead has passed. The biblical line in the song: “they dressed the wounds of my poor people as though they’re nothing/saying peace, peace, when there is no peace,” has stayed with me since I quoted it at my first queer history presentation in 2013.
So, my wish for 2023 is that we dress the wounds of our poor people. Let’s connect to our shared humanity. Let’s celebrate Pride.
{KA}
Calgary Gay History 
celebrates you , sinead was a lovely woman , what happened in ft, mcleod was terrible , they have my support , rylee plans to e-mail you soon , having burlesque shows tonight n sat [a burlesque star under the name hellon wheels doing shows at dickin’s n more places] a busy young person but would like to talk with/meet you 🙂 @rseutter@thealex.ca rseutter@thealex.ca if that helps you 2 connect? high 5’s you both 🙂
Beautiful post, Kevin. Omg, that song is definitely a baller 😭.
It is absolutely sickens me what happened at Fort Macleod Pride. I agree that our community needs to come together and to “dress the wounds of our poor people”. Much work is needed to try to unite our community which I personally feel has become too fractured and is at risk of splitting as we are seeing in the UK with both The Lesbian Project and the LGB Alliance. I think it starts with learning to hear each other, respect each other and being able to agree to disagree when we have different viewpoints. It was no small feat for Project Pride to try to unite the disparate groups in 1988 and I am forever grateful for the leadership and deep compassion of Nicola Neumann, Tracy Walker and others who had the vision to form an umbrella group that would unite rather than divide us.
I vote we all put on our cowboy boots and go help Fort Macleod have the best Pride ever next year! Grab a horse, we ride at dawn.
Mary Taylor