Through its new partnership with Upper Canada and Hillcrest Malls, York Pride is hoping to eliminate the stigma of what pride events in York Region are all about.
A lot of families think that pride events are not family-friendly and that they can't take their kids to events but that's simply not the case, said Jacob Gal, development and communications for York Pride.
"What we're trying to do is change that stigma and we're trying to get people to see that every event we program, kids can come to it."
At a May 24 event, MP Tony Van Byden, councillor Bob Kwapis and members of York Regional Police joined local media at Upper Canada Mall's Union Chicken for a sneak peek of upcoming interactive and family-friendly pride events that will take place at each property this June.
To preview one of the Newmarket mall's upcoming events, Toronto-based drag queen Erin Brockobić read two children's books to the delight of both the adults and kids in attendance.
After the reading, Brockobić's performance of Let It Go from Disney's Frozen garnered a huge round of applause.
The theme for this year's pride month is Reconnect and all upcoming events will highlight positivity and community while recognizing York Region’s diversity and 2SLGBTQ+ population.
“We’re celebrating diversity and inclusion through this partnership with York Pride. Pride for our community is something we express every day," said Ryan Da Silva, general manager for Upper Canada Mall and Hillcrest Mall. "This partnership reinforces our role as a community resource, employer, meeting and recreational destination in the region. We are pleased to join forces with York Region Pride to celebrate this positivity."
Some of the family-friendly events at Upper Canada Mall's market court this June include drag queen story time on June 4 at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and face painting on June 5 between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
According to Gal, the question most asked at York Pride's farmer's market booth is whether parents can bring their entire family to events. Unfortunately, he said, because news outlets often choose to feature a 30-second clip of something salacious from Toronto's pride events there is a misconception of what York Pride is really about. Anyone who has attended one of its events knows it's 100 per cent family-friendly and it's all about inclusivity, he added.
"We're trying to showcase that this is simply families coming together to enjoy lots of variety in programming whether it's in culture, education, support and we do this will all our partners and our sponsors and the community."
Visit the Upper Canada Mall website for a full list of upcoming pride events.
York Pride is a not-for-profit community-based organization in York Region that organizes initiatives to promote equity and inclusivity, improve health and wellbeing, create safe social opportunities and reduce homophobia within York Region. Since its inception in 2001 the organization's pride festival has become one of the fastest growing in Ontario.
