Author Topic: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.  (Read 2467 times)

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Offline kimmy

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Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« on: April 15, 2019, 12:18:59 am »
The past couple of years we've talked about the disruptions and hostile takeover of the Toronto Pride events by BLM:
https://canadianpoliticalevents.createaforum.com/manitoba-politics/toronto-pride-2018-version/msg27294/#msg27294

Something similar happened in Edmonton last year-- the Pride parade was halted by protestors-of-color who had a number of demands, particularly relating to the presence of police and military people in uniform.

Last week members of the two groups ("Shades of Colour" and "RaricaNow") that disrupted last year's parade met with the Edmonton Pride Festival Society to present more demands. (their demands are listed in this letter to EPFS.)

And the EPFS has responded by deciding to shut the whole thing down.


The leader of Shades Of Colour says that...
Quote
“We were advocating to make changes, to make positive changes in the event. We don’t want this event to be cancelled. We care about Pride, otherwise we wouldn’t be putting in these efforts,” said Dave.

(...)

 A member of the Pride society, who spoke to CTV Edmonton anonymously on Thursday morning out of fear of retaliation, says the demands became too much.

“I was heartbroken that we had reached this point because there was a sense of failure,” the member said.

“I just think the demands showed a lack of understanding or a huge desire for the festival society to be something it's not.”

 Dave says the group had many discussions with Pride organizers since August and isn’t sure why the board believes it’s necessary to nix the celebration, which began in 1983. He said his group’s demands were negotiable.

“We used the language of demands because this feels like a crisis for our communities. People are feeling suicidal over Pride, people are getting deported. This is a crisis for queer and trans racialized people.”

Reading over the list of demands, it's clear that this is more than just "positive changes".  First and foremost, it's a shakedown, as the two groups were demanding Edmonton Pride Society give them $20,000 each, in addition to funding for a variety of QTBIPOC events and honorariums for QTBIPOC educators and performers.

(QTBIPOC? That's the latest acronym! It's Queer or Trans Black or Indigenous People of Color. I think basically it means everybody in LGBT who isn't white.)

Aside from money, they are essentially demanding that the entire festival be centered around QTBIPOC and trans people.  For everybody else, you might be les/bi/gay, but if you're not trans or QTBIPOC you can sit at the back with the rest of the white cis-scum.

I've never been to one of these things, and never will, but I'm actually kind of glad that they decided to just pull the plug on it.


 -k
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Online Michael Hardner

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #1 on: April 15, 2019, 05:11:19 am »
This is what happens when radicals win - their movements aren't radical anymore.  And the ones who loved the anti-social and militant fellowship are forced to find something else.  Sometimes they can't.

I for one am glad that the police participate but I don't have an answer for BLM and Pride.  I'm sympathetic to them/
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Offline Pinus or Vid or...?????

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #2 on: April 15, 2019, 08:31:26 am »
The past couple of years we've talked about the disruptions and hostile takeover of the Toronto Pride events by BLM:
https://canadianpoliticalevents.createaforum.com/manitoba-politics/toronto-pride-2018-version/msg27294/#msg27294

Something similar happened in Edmonton last year-- the Pride parade was halted by protestors-of-color who had a number of demands, particularly relating to the presence of police and military people in uniform.

Last week members of the two groups ("Shades of Colour" and "RaricaNow") that disrupted last year's parade met with the Edmonton Pride Festival Society to present more demands. (their demands are listed in this letter to EPFS.)

And the EPFS has responded by deciding to shut the whole thing down.


The leader of Shades Of Colour says that...
Reading over the list of demands, it's clear that this is more than just "positive changes".  First and foremost, it's a shakedown, as the two groups were demanding Edmonton Pride Society give them $20,000 each, in addition to funding for a variety of QTBIPOC events and honorariums for QTBIPOC educators and performers.

(QTBIPOC? That's the latest acronym! It's Queer or Trans Black or Indigenous People of Color. I think basically it means everybody in LGBT who isn't white.)

Aside from money, they are essentially demanding that the entire festival be centered around QTBIPOC and trans people.  For everybody else, you might be les/bi/gay, but if you're not trans or QTBIPOC you can sit at the back with the rest of the white cis-scum.

I've never been to one of these things, and never will, but I'm actually kind of glad that they decided to just pull the plug on it.


 -k
So this fringe group is attempting to extort money from Pride, exclude White people, and ban Police from the event. That's going really go over well.
If Omni, Impact, and the_squid ever had a love child, I would be him

Online Michael Hardner

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #3 on: April 15, 2019, 08:59:59 am »
Exclude white people?

Offline wilber

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #4 on: April 15, 2019, 09:42:36 am »
Exclude white people?

No, white folks would just be a part of the organization that gets to do the work, pay the bills and go to the back of the line. Let these folks start their own festival, do the work and figure out how to pay their own bills.
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Online Michael Hardner

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2019, 10:39:17 am »
How so?

Offline wilber

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2019, 11:27:56 am »
How so?
What do you mean how so? These groups wanted 20K each to be part of a festival someone else was holding. Like kimmy  said, it was little more than a shakedown.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC
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Offline waldo

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #7 on: April 15, 2019, 12:08:05 pm »
I've never been to one of these things, and never will, but I'm actually kind of glad that they decided to just pull the plug on it.

years back, I used to regularly wander down to the west-end of VanCity during the parades - usually a hoot to watch... initially surprised by the corporate presence. Given the profile/presence, "the gays", have in VanCity I just never got it - why the need for a parade, particularly today as years march on?

you being the boards resident 'experimenting gay' (I kid, I kid), why the need for Pride Parades today? Can ya learn the waldo?

Online Michael Hardner

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #8 on: April 15, 2019, 12:19:16 pm »
What do you mean how so? These groups wanted 20K each to be part of a festival someone else was holding. Like kimmy  said, it was little more than a shakedown.
You made some specific claims though.

Offline ?Impact

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #9 on: April 15, 2019, 01:11:31 pm »
I think we need to start a group to take over the St. Patrick's Day parade, or better still the Santa Clause one.

Offline wilber

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2019, 02:33:01 pm »
You made some specific claims though.
Maybe we should be talking about their claims.
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Online Michael Hardner

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #11 on: April 15, 2019, 02:54:30 pm »
Maybe we should be talking about their claims.

You want to retract?

Offline wilber

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Online Michael Hardner

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #13 on: April 15, 2019, 04:47:09 pm »
No.

Claims:

"No, white folks would just be a part of the organization that gets to do the work, pay the bills and go to the back of the line. Let these folks start their own festival, do the work and figure out how to pay their own bills."

Questions:

Non-white people won't do any of the work, or pay anything through taxes businesses ?

What is 'back of the line' ?
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Offline wilber

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Re: Edmonton Pride Festival 2019 canceled.
« Reply #14 on: April 15, 2019, 04:51:52 pm »
Claims:

"No, white folks would just be a part of the organization that gets to do the work, pay the bills and go to the back of the line. Let these folks start their own festival, do the work and figure out how to pay their own bills."

Questions:

Non-white people won't do any of the work, or pay anything through taxes businesses ?

What is 'back of the line' ?

I didn’t say that.
"Never trust a man without a single redeeming vice" WSC