Moncton’s Pride parade draws numbers to downtown core

With a pop of colour and a show of support, Moncton’s River of Pride Parade took over downtown Saturday afternoon.

“Today is all about being happy and celebrating who we are,” said Lynn Bourque-Chevarie, the Riverview Pride lead.

“We had an amazing crowd, way more than I think we were prepared for, but that’s good it means there people getting involved in our community and are out here to celebrate with us.”

Bourque-Chevarie says around 100 people registered to participate in the parade this year including more floats.

“It’s not just Moncton, it’s the tri-community we have Riverview, Dieppe and Moncton all coming together. I’ve had people tell me they came from Fredericton, (and) Nova Scotia, so I think it’s great,” she said.

“The whole point of a community is to be a community, so to see everyone here, as you said, different ages, different culture backgrounds, it’s really great to see.”

Showing up in numbers, both sides of Main Street were lined with people bringing forward a celebration with an important message.

“I think what’s important is that people see that who I am, is I’m just a normal person, I’m not a danger to anybody, I’m a member of society, I was mayor of Caraquet, I’m an attorney, you know, I want kids today that can look at me and say ‘look, it’s okay to be gay,’” said Kevin Hache who travelled to Moncton for the parade on Saturday.

With Policy 713 top of mind for many New Brunswickers and the Canadian Government issuing a travel advisory for parts of the United States for members of the LGBTQ+ community, this years events were significant.

“I think pride is probably the most important thing that is happening in our province today,” said Hache.

Adding, “it’s important for me when I see all these children here today, they have loving parents who are open, Policy 713 is not for them, it’s for the ones that are not loved, that are scared to come out of their shell, scared to come out to their parents.”

The parade brought upbeat music, bubbles, colours and the community together.

“I grew up in a very different Moncton,” said Riverview resident, Jim Kinnie.

“Last year, after returning after 33 years, I was excited and proud of the city that I called home and my birth place. Excited to see all the changes. You wouldn’t have seen this when I was going up in the 70s and late 80s, so I’m very happy to see that.”

He also has concerns around the changes for the upcoming school year.

“I’m hoping that people take away that we have a right to be whoever we want to be,” he said.

“As a retired high school teacher who has worked with students, I’ve been following the 713 very very closely and I’ve been very upset by it. I honestly think the government is being ridiculous if they think teachers are going to out their Trans students that go by other pronouns and names.”

River of Pride says that the community is a target right now and that speaking out and educating is on the top of their minds, but it’s also important to take a moment and enjoy what pride has to offer this year.

“Our basic message for the pride festival itself was ‘This is me and I think I’m going to stick to that, this is me,’” said Bourque-Chevarie.

“You know, you should be proud of who you are, no matter who you are and how you identify and what you do and I think that’s the whole point of this festival and everyone here came dressed up exactly as who they are and that’s what we love to see.”

River of Pride has festivities continuing throughout the weekend before wrapping up the week with a prom on Sunday night.

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