Montreal Pride Festival | An “inclusive, diverse and demanding” week

(Montreal) After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the Montreal Pride festival is back for a fifteenth edition, from 1^er to August 7, with a festive program.

Audrey Pilon Topkara
The Press

“The past few years have not been easy, especially for marginalized communities,” said Simon Gamache, executive director of Pride Montreal, during a press conference on Tuesday. In every programming decision, we want voices to be heard. »

“We realize at the moment that there is a rise of the right, especially in North America, underlined to The Press singer Sandy Duperval, spokesperson for the festival. COVID has also had an impact on marginalized people, particularly in terms of isolation. We therefore want to continue to create safe spaces. »

“Montreal Pride is now the largest 2SLGBTQIA+ event in Canada and the largest gathering of its kind across the Francophonie,” said Robert Beaudry, head of urban planning and citizen participation on the executive committee of the City of Montreal.

Festivities and COVID-19

This year, more than 150 artists from sexual and gender diversity will be represented during the seven days of the festival, which will end on August 7 during the Grand Pride Parade on René-Lévesque Boulevard.

The opening night of August 3 will be provided by singer Diane Dufresne and Montreal DJ Pierre Kwenders, in particular. The next day, we promise the biggest free drag queen show in the country, hosted by Rita Baga, with nearly twenty artists from Canada, the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

Many Quebec artists such as Ariane Moffatt, Corneille, Cœur de pirate, Pasty Gallant, Alaclair Ensemble and Sarahmée will take part in one of the nine large-scale shows.

For reasons of security and capacity, the festival, which expects to receive up to 30,000 people, will be deployed this year not only in the city center and in the Village, but also on the Esplanade of the Olympic Park. , underlined Simon Gamache.

The latter entrusted to The Press hope that the Montreal Pride festival will not lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases, as was the case at the Festival d’été de Québec, using the “perfect festival-goer’s guide”.

“We are talking about vaccination, disinfecting their hands, and people with symptoms are invited to wear a mask,” he says. Our communities are very responsible and aware. »

Official claims

Moe Hamandi, a non-binary artist who chairs the board of directors of Pride Montreal, hopes that the visibility of the festival can make heard the demands of the organization, established in collaboration with the Quebec LGBT Council.

“Montreal Pride is calling for adequate funding and premises for 2SLGBTQIA+ community organizations, public recognition of systemic racism, and a commitment to fight discrimination,” said Moe Hamandi.

In terms of health care, the organization calls for free operations and gender affirmation care, a ban on non-consensual surgical interventions on intersex people and free care related to HIV/AIDS.

Montréal Pride is also demanding funding for positive sexuality education as well as measures to break the isolation of 2SLGBTQIA+ seniors.

Finally, the organization calls for the decriminalization of HIV non-disclosure, drug use and sex work.

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