Richmond to celebrate Pride Week July 26 to August 1


20 July 2021

Pride Week is being celebrated in Richmond with in-person and virtual activities that include poetry and art workshops, story times, outdoor music performances and a special online presentation by Brock McGillis, the first male professional hockey player to openly come out as gay.

“Pride Week is about celebrating our LGBTQ2S+ communities who have contributed significantly to the vibrancy and enrichment of community life in the city,” says Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “As we gradually and safely resume our normal social contacts, we are pleased to offer in-person events in addition to virtual activities this year.”

The City of Richmond, in partnership with Richmond Community Associations and Societies, have 17 different activities planned from Monday, July 26 to Sunday, August 1. The full list of 2021 Pride Week in Richmond activities can be found at www.richmond.ca/prideweek.

A highlight of this week is the free, online presentation “Striding Towards Equality with Brock McGillis.” During this one hour Zoom session on Thursday, July 29 from noon to 1pm, McGillis, a former Ontario Hockey League member and professional hockey player, will share his coming out journey and current advocacy for LGBTQ2S+ rights. This informative and interesting session covers self-empowerment, inclusivity, mental health and non-conformity through real-life stories. Registration is required at www.richmond.ca/register using Course ID #95953.

Other highlights of Richmond’s Pride Week include:

  1. Monday, July 26, 6-8pm, online – Abundance in Poetry: Claim Your New Beginning
    Claim your power through a poetry workshop with queer and non-binary poet, Angelic Goldsky. This free workshop is open to all word magicians, queer healers, binary transcenders and word weavers of any experience.
  2. Tuesday, July 27, 3:30-4:30pm, in-person – Pride Visual Art Workshop
    Celebrate diversity and the LGBTQ2S+ community in this free, festive art workshop at the Richmond Arts Centre with popular instructor and visual artist, Mr. Tony.
  3. Wednesday, July 28, anytime, online – Zine-Making 101
    Be introduced to the basics of zine-making in this free, online session by queer artist-curator Rebecca Casalino, who will share queer zines from her personal library along with basic tools and tips and tricks for people with limited resources.
  4. Friday, July 30, 3-5pm, in-person – Signs of Pride
    Join youth artists and professional artists Sam McWilliams, Paige Gratland and Phranc as they unveil a special public art project that celebrates and remembers the history and culture of the LGBTQ2S+ community here in Richmond. These professional artists have been meeting virtually with a group of youth artists since May to create a public art piece that will be displayed on the West Richmond Community Centre building. This project is presented by West Richmond and Cambie Community Associations and the City of Richmond.

For a full list of activities for 2021 Pride Week in Richmond, and to register for any of these events, visit www.richmond.ca/PrideWeek. Follow @FunRichmond on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates.

Pride events are held internationally at various times throughout the year to commemorate the history of the LGBT rights movement and recognize the value of diversity and inclusion that Pride events have come to symbolize.