Last summer, local police in uniform stepped away from the annual Halifax Pride parade. More recently, officials from Halifax Pride and Halifax Regional Police have been in talks regarding police potentially rejoining this year’s event. Police spokesperson Carol McIsaac says over email that discussions have been ongoing for months, but no decision has been made […]
Pride
Posted inNews + Opinion
Pride is political and Pride is a party
The east coast is bustling in July. Anyone who’s spent a winter on our fair coast knows that the two months of summer we get are used to their full potential as best we can. Pride week is no exception to that and is always one of the best times to be in Atlantic Canada. […]
Posted inArts + Music
Ten colourful weekend picks
10 Craft Nova Scotia’s annual designer show Friday // Saturday // Sunday Everything from ceramics to textiles to some handmade bling await at this sprawling outdoor craft show full of expert makers. 9 Dîner en Blanc Saturday This super-secret fancy-pants international community picnic didn’t happen last summer, but it’s back. Conceived in France, Diner en […]
Posted inArts + Music
Addressing social issues through comedy
Evening Speaker Series: Dylan Marron Tuesday, July 25, 7pm Maritime Museum of the Atlantic 1675 Lower Water Street free “Even ‘woke’ people use this product and have no idea,” Dylan Marron quips during one of his unboxing videos. The topic? Ableism. Marron’s Unboxing series plays on the kind of videos bloggers typically do when getting […]
Posted inArts + Music
Mending fences at Pride
Kehisha Wilmot wishes Pride were more intersectional. “It seemed like once we got to the point where marriage equality was a thing, a lot of people just kind of put their shoes on the shelf and went the other way,” says Wilmot, head of Mount Saint Vincent University’s Queer Collective. “We were the ones who […]
Posted inArts + Music
Believe in Magic
“Our goal is to give marginalized communities the space and time to create their own representation,” says Emma Paulson, who along with Kate Macdonald makes up The Magic Project. The two photographers and activists were chosen by Halifax Pride as this year’s parade grand marshals. Their not-for-profit art initiative is Macdonald and Paulson’s way of […]
Posted inArts + Music
Kamal Al-Solaylee is erasing borders
Evening Speaker Series: Kamal Al-Solaylee Wednesday, July 26, 7pm Maritime Museum of the Atlantic 1675 Lower Water Street A gay man who grew up in a Muslim community, Kamal Al-Solaylee says he’s lived his life as two separate narratives. But those narratives, and those communities, must intersect. The author and journalist is scheduled to give […]
Posted inArts + Music
We’ve got spirit, yes we do; we’ve got spirit, up to two!
Queer Perspectives: Redefining Two-Spirit Identity Thursday, July 27, 12-1pm Halifax City Hall 1841 Argyle Street Free This year’s Halifax Pride Festival is looking to centre Indigenous experiences with its panel lecture, Redefining Two-Spirit Identity. The lecture will be led by Margaret Robinson, an assistant professor at Dalhousie University’s department of sociology and social anthropology. Beyond […]
Posted inArts + Music
Happy ours: A history of local gay bars
Halifax is a city with a vibrant history, and that extends into its queer culture. Since the first gay bar opened in 1971, Halifax’s queer community has found a home in nightlife. The first “officially gay” gay bar in Halifax was Thee Klub. It opened in 1971 in the Green Lantern Building on Barrington Street. […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Trudeau pinkwashing Pride parade
The most watched person at this year’s Halifax Pride parade will be a straight white man with a penchant for rainbow socks. It was announced Monday that Justin Trudeau will be marching this weekend in Halifax, becoming the first sitting prime minister to take part in a local Pride parade. But some members of the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Halifax Pride addresses pinkwashing by discontinuing community fair
Halifax Pride is nixing booths from its festival grounds ahead of this year’s celebration. The change was announced late last month, several months after October’s tumultuous AGM, during which a “pinkwashing motion” brought forth by members of Queer Arabs of Halifax (QAH) was voted down. According to the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project, pinkwashing usually […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Street checks and balances
Do you trust the police? The Board of Police Commissioners would like to know. “You have to be open,” says BPC chair and deputy mayor Steve Craig. “You have to hear what’s being said and take that all in, whether you like what’s being said or not.” The Halifax police department’s civilian overseers are quietly […]
