On Aug. 5 I joined many of my closest friends at the Trans and Genderqueer Celebration and Liberation March in Vancouver.
The organisers describe the event as follows:

This march is an opportunity for genderqueer and trans people to be celebrated, through an assembly in peace, joy and solidarity, in order to loudly and proudly express their pride in themselves, and their community, as well as an opportunity for families, friends, lovers, allies and comrades of trans & genderqueer people to express their pride and support for us. What’s there to celebrate?

Trans and Genderqueer Celebration and Liberation March

It was a celebration and a protest. It is a sad reality that gender identity is not covered in either the Charter or the BC Human Rights Code.

It was real grassroots celebration that evoked memories of early gay Pride gatherings for some people including my friend Andrew who said it was the best Pride event he’s attended since the 1989 Pride march in Halifax. Like that march, there was a critical mass of people who really knew each other. I could, for example, name or place just about everybody I saw.

I chronicled the day with my fancy new HD camcorder! W00t!