Editor’s note: The last names of attendees interviewed in this story have been omitted to preserve their privacy.
On Aug. 29, members of the LGBTQ2+ community and its allies gathered on Lansdowne Park’s Great Lawn for Capital Pride’s SPECTACULAR! Festival Edition.
Hosted by Capital Pride and TD Bank Group, the festival was a long-awaited celebration since in-person events were postponed in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Henry, a festival attendee, said they were excited about the return to in-person events.
“I want to celebrate with my people. I’m just looking forward to being with friends, especially after COVID [shutdowns],” Henry said.
They also expressed how vital Capital Pride is to them.
“Pride means to me being proud of who you are, being able to stand up and not being afraid of what values you stand for or who you are intrinsically inside,” they said.
Osmel Guerra Maynes, the executive director of Capital Pride, expressed his excitement about hosting Capital Pride and said it offered the LGBTQ2+ community an important opportunity to come together.
“It’s so exciting to give Capital Pride and LGBTQ2+ folks a chance to come out and celebrate our truth,” Maynes said. “Not everyone in the LGBTQ2+ community tends to have a family. During a pandemic, we are all inside and unable to express and celebrate ourselves. But as LGBTQ folks, we are able to choose our families and create a space to thrive in and relate to each other.”
The festival took place from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. with intermittent entertainment, including two Drag Queen shows, DJs, hoop dancing, aerial acrobatics and a handful of other performances.
Sky, a festival attendee and member of the LGBTQ2+ community, was ecstatic to be at Capital Pride this year with their friends.
“I’m part of the community and I wanted to celebrate that, especially during these [pandemic times] which are so hard. It’s nice to be able to introduce this experience to my friends,” they said.
Sky said they were most excited to see the drag queens perform.
Saltina Shaker, one of the drag queens who performed at the festival, felt thrilled about their performance and being an entertainer at this year’s Capital Pride event.
“It feels absolutely amazing to be a performer at [Capital] Pride this year. Having so many people out finally enjoying the show and enjoying the live entertainment, it’s a stunning experience,” Saltina Shaker said.
Saltina Shaker said their experience on stage was one they were very happy with.
“I think my set went incredibly well, I enjoyed myself and it was so much fun,” they said. “The crowd was just beautiful, the energy, screams and applause. That’s what us queens live off of.”
In addition to the drag show, there was also a land acknowledgement at the beginning of the concert and a performance by hoop dancer Makhena Rankin-Guérin.
Guérin, who is two-spirit and Anishinaabe, said they were honoured to be picked as a performer for this year’s Capital Pride.
“It’s my first year doing different pride events and I absolutely love it, especially being somebody who is two-spirited and a part of the LGBTQ community. It’s very nice that Capital Pride honours Indigenous culture,” Guérin said.
Guérin said Capital Pride is important to them because of feelings around acceptance and the future.
“Pride for me means accepting everybody for who they are and also paving the way for the future generations, paving the way for different LGBTQ youth to feel safe and to feel accepted in this community,” Guérin said.
Maynes mentioned a certain type of magic when asked about how he felt seeing the festival come together and what he looked forward to the most.
“Just seeing the smiling faces of folks and seeing folks enjoying themselves and celebrating each other… It’s so magical. It’s all queer magic.”
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
