Alexander College wishes everyone a Happy Pride! June is the start of Pride Season in Canada, a time when a range of pride events take place in Canada from June to September. It is a time to recognize and celebrate the many victories achieved by the LGBT+ community.
The modern LGBT+ rights movement in America got its start during the Stonewall riots in June 1969, where members of the gay community fought back against a police raid of the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan, New York.
In Canada, homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969, and in August 1971 activists gathered in Toronto for Canada’s first gay liberation protest and march. On August 1, 1973, Vancouver had its earliest pride celebrations. In Vancouver the Pride Parade is now typically held in August.
The LGBT+ community has always been an important part of Canada and have advocated for their rights and inclusion as well as making art. Canada became the fourth country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2005. There are also many prominent LGBT+ Canadians, such as Svend Robinson, the first openly gay member of Parliament in Canada, and Dan Levy, co-creator and actor in the show Schitt’s Creek.
Discrimination against the LGBT+ community is still very common in Canada and around the world. With countries such as the United States pushing against Diversity Equity and Inclusion, it is always important to stand with vulnerable members of the community. Pride season is a celebration as well as an opportunity for education.
Feel free to come to the Burnaby campus library to check out some of the books we have on for the Pride display, including:
And more!
Learn More
For more information about Vancouver pride events, you can check out this City of Vancouver page: https://vancouver.ca/people-programs/pride.aspx
References
Government of Canada. “Pride Season.” May 20, 2025. https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/pride-season.html
Rau, Krishna. “2SLGBTQ+ Rights in Canada.” December 12, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-rights-in-canada
Simon, Mary. “Message from the Governor General on Pride Season 2025.” The Governor General of Canada. June 1, 2025. https://www.gg.ca/en/media/news/2025/pride-season
MPLSelena. “A Brief History of Pride in Canada.” Markham Public Library. May 29, 2023. https://markhampubliclibrary.ca/blogs/post/what-pride-means-to-canad/
Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.
Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.
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