What’s normally a week of colour, celebration and unity for members of Greater Victoria’s LGBTQ2S+ community has been pushed into the virtual world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victoria Pride Week 2020 runs from June 28 to July 5, but this year’s celebration won’t include signature in-person events such as the Victoria Pride Parade or the Big Gay Dog Walk. Instead, community members can go online and celebrate with free, virtual events.
On July 1, the public can tune into the Victoria Pride Society’s (VPS) YouTube channel to watch the documentary premiere of History of the Memorial Dragball Game. The film traces the 25-year history of the Victoria Pride mainstay, exploring the origins of the “epic baseball game between drag kings, queens and things.”
Calling all canines (and their humans, of course)!
— Victoria Pride Society (@VictoriaPride) June 17, 2020
This year's Big Gay Dog Walk will be online with our usual costume contest and a trick competition, as well as our trusted host, Chaz Avery.
More info on our Website or Facebook event: https://t.co/A3N8mhJ7np #yyj #yyjpride pic.twitter.com/lHsO9iw6Bx
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July 2 will feature a live-streamed pride playreading of Animal Show by Eddi Wilson and July 3 will see the Big Gay Dog Walk go virtual, with the usual costume contest and trick competition hosted by Chaz Avery online from the VPS YouTube Channel.
Finally, the 2020 Pride Festival moves online July 5, offering all the event’s typical entertainment with ‘zero lineups.’ The public can stream the event from home on the VPS YouTube channel.
The entire community is getting into the spirit – members of the Victoria Police Department will sport rainbow patches in celebration of Pride Month.
The department said it wants to “show support for the LGBTQ2S+ community” by having 100 sets of rainbow patches adorning officers’ uniforms from June 15 to July 5.
READ ALSO: 2019 Victoria Pride Parade hits downtown
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