Since 2013 Barrie Pride has been serving, advocating for, and celebrating with the LGBTQ2I+ community. With our tenth anniversary on the horizon, let's take a look back at our history.
September:
◉ Barrie Pride forms and officially launches on September 1st, 2013
2013
November:
◉ Transgender Day of Remembrance flag raising at City Hall. Barrie becomes the first City Hall in the province to raise the Transgender flag on TDoR.
2014
February:
◉ Raised the Rainbow Flag at City Hall in support of 2SLGBTQIA+ athletes at the Sochi Olympic Games
April:
◉ First anti-bullying Day of Pink in Barrie
◉ First Pride Prom in Barrie
June:
Pride Week in Barrie - “Warm up to World Pride"
★ Seven brand new 2SLGBTQIA+ events
★ First Pride Parade in Barrie’s history
★ 500+ marchers
October:
◉ First open 2SLGBTQIA+ themed Halloween club night in Barrie
2015
May:
◉ Barrie Pride gives back at the “Hike for Hospice” with a team of 2SLGBTQIA+ and Allies, raising money for Hospice Simcoe
June:
Second annual Pride Week
★ First 2SLGBTQIA+ festival in Barrie
★ 1,000+ marchers
August:
◉ First time an 2SLGBTQIA+ organization enters a booth at Kempenfest
November:
◉ First time an 2SLGBTQIA+ organization enters a float in Barrie’s Santa Claus Parade
2016
June:
Third annual Barrie Pride Week
★ 1,500+ marchers
★ 4,000+ festival guests
July:
◉ Barrie Pride visits Orlando, Florida, with banner of support for The Pulse
December:
◉ First all-2SLGBTQIA+ headliner comedy night in Barrie
2017
June:
Fourth annual Barrie Pride Week
★ 2,000+ marchers and 6,000+ festival guests
★ First Drag Queen Storybook reading in Canada
August:
◉ First series of 2SLGBTQIA+ themed pop-up events in Barrie
September:
◉ First weekly 2SLGBTQIA+ social night in Barrie begins
◉ First Pride themed Delta Bingo event
November:
◉ First 2SLGBTQIA+ themed green social in Barrie
◉ Barrie Pride board members host the Barrie Arts Awards
◉ Barrie Pride witnesses the Government of Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Apology in person
2018
January:
◉ Barrie Pride launches the “Because It Matters” campaign.
April:
◉ Barrie Pride becomes the first pride in North America to adopt and endorse U=U
◉ Barrie Pride becomes the first Pride to name U=U as Parade Grand Marshal
June:
First 3-day LGBTQ2I+ Festival in Barrie and Simcoe County
★ First Transgender Pride March in Barrie
★ 10,000 people in attendance
2019
January-June:
◉ 2019 Reconstruction to serve you better
May:
◉ Barrie Pride assists Dawna Brown, a transgender woman, in being moved from a male prison to a female facility
◉ Barrie Pride attends International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia march
◉ Inaugural Partners In Pride (PiP) meeting at The Ridge Resort and Campground
◉ “Drag Me To Dinner” Drag Show Event with PiP member, Borden Pride Network
July:
◉ Barrie Pride supports a wrongly-terminated local Transgender person at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
◉ The City of Barrie opens a Rainbow Crosswalk at Barrie’s lakeshore
August:
◉ Barrie Pride becomes the first parade to cross over the downtown Rainbow Crosswalk
◉ Barrie Pride honours 4 Grand Marshals reflecting our values: Equality, Integrity, Justice and Progress
October:
◉ First Intersex Awareness Day flag raising at a City Hall in Ontario, followed closely by London Pride.
November:
◉ Barrie Pride places a wreath in honour of our fallen 2SLGBTQIA+ service members at Remembrance Day
December:
◉ Barrie Pride launches Pride Positive Places, an anti-discrimination, inclusivity oath program
2020
January:
◉ Barrie Pride honours International Holocaust Remembrance Day with Am Shalom Congregation
June:
◉ During COVID, Remote Rainbow Pride Live Stream on Twitch with over 1,000 hours of content streamed
August:
◉ Pride Paddle event with Innisfil Pride at Centennial Beach in Barrie
September:
◉ Barrie Pride joins the Barrie Police Service Community Advisory Committee
◉ Bi Visibility Day flag raising at City Hall
◉ Barrie Police Service takes the Pride Positive Places oath of inclusion
October:
◉ International Lesbian Day flag raising at City Hall
Summer:
◉ Marley Yott Transgender Wellness Fund opens
◉ Pride in the Park with Rogers TV
◉ Open Air Dunlop Days
2021
2022
Spring:
◉ 2022 Rebrand
◉ Rainbow Treats for Change
◉ Barrie Pride Parade and Festival 2022!
Summer: