Pride Season Announcement 

Dear Members, 

The flowers are blooming and the weather is warming up, which means Pride season is approaching! As more communities and Pride Societies roll out their festival dates and event calendars, our union is on a mission to find out how members like you want to celebrate in 2026. 

Let's reimagine Pride in the voice and vision of the 2SLGBTQIA+ workers who call B.C. home! If you're a queer member or ally and want to connect with other 2SLGBTQIA+ workers, organizations and community members in one of the cities or town on our celebration map, sign up to become a rainbow subscriber today: 

Sign up to receive Pride updates here

This is a chance to stay in the loop on everything our union and other local BCGEU members might be doing to celebrate Pride in your community. Let's make Pride our own this year!  

Why the BCGEU Celebrates 

Pride and the labour Movement have a lot in common! The first Pride (aka the 1969 Stonewall Protests) was a rally-cry for equity from a working-class neighbourhood in reaction to Manhattan police violently raiding a local gay bar.

Protesters flooded the streets, refusing second class citizenry – a fight that unions know well. This push to affirm one's right to exist, to live and love to the fullest, and to work without discrimination, marked the beginning of a fierce and jubilant movement that continues to this day.

Anyone who's been on a picket line or part of an organizing drive knows that having fun and fighting for basic rights go hand-in-hand. The queer community has been embracing this duality for decades. As a union of 95,000+ members, there's lots of overlap between our labour family and the rainbow family. A healthy democracy is one where all members can participate in the BCGEU to their fullest.

In addition to building platforms on which 2SLGBTQIA+ members can flex their activism and grow their voice and leadership, the BCGEU also commits to providing members with resources to advance equity in our communities. Pride is a great opportunity to do that! 
 

In solidarity, 

Executive Vice President & Chair of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Committee, Tristen Wybou

UWU/MoveUP