The Land We Are On

Vancouver Pride Society exists on the stolen, occupied, traditional and ancestral territory of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. We are grateful to the Indigenous peoples of these nations who have cared for these lands since time immemorial.

We recognize that homophobia and transphobia were brought here through colonization and that the fight against these forms of oppression requires real action; action beyond the performative nature of statements like this. 

We realize that the work we are able to do could not happen without the wisdom and intelligence of the Two-Spirit people and organizations that have taught us, stuck with us, and led us through changes to serve our 2SLGBTQAI+ communities better. We hold our hands up to thank them for their brilliance, resilience, patience and strength.

We know that uplifting 2SLGBTQAI+ lives also include serving the Indigenous people of these lands we occupy, build community and celebrate on. 

As an organization, we commit to the following:

  • Continue building our relationship with the Host Nations.

  • Paying all Elders for their knowledge and time for any knowledge sharing .

  • Giving honourariums and gifting blankets for Land Welcomes at all of our events .

  • Acknowledge the stolen land we are on in our written material.

  • Creating and maintaining community partnerships with all of the Host Nations and different Indigenous serving organizations.

  • We are helping facilitate a Two-Spirit pride event for 2023 and onward.

  • Facilitators that we hire and work for are committed to approaching this work with a decolonial practice that centers Indigenous voices.

  • Facilitating anti-/de-colonial and intersectional training for staff, volunteers and board.

  • Being held accountable by our community if we fail to adhere to these commitments.

Our Commitment to QTBIPoC Communities

The Vancouver Pride Society is diligently working on serving and listening to our QTBIPOC (Queer/Trans/Two-Spirit who are also Black/Indigenous/People of Colour) communities. We recognize that without the active involvement and leadership of queer and trans folks from BIPOC communities, we cannot achieve our mandate of producing inclusive events and advocating for 2SLGBTQAI+ communities. If there are ways you believe we can better serve these communities, please let us know at office@vancouverpride.ca.