While Jasper might be known for its snow-capped mountains and its abundance of wildlife, it’s clear our tiny mountain town is also becoming known for our friendly LGBT attitude.
Earlier this week Jasper made history as the town hoisted–for the first time ever– the pink, blue and white colours of the transgender flag for all to see.
The flag was raised alongside the pride flag to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
It’s a positive step forward and demonstrates to the world that Jasper is an inclusive and safe community for everyone, regardless of their sex, gender or identity.
It also reinforces the message that our community will not tolerate discrimination or intolerance simply because somebody is different.
At the federal level this message was taken a step further with the introduction of Bill C-16 to officially protect transgender rights.
While raising flags and introducing formal legislation is important, without grassroot support from the community, we’d never be where we are today.
A large part of that support started seven years ago when the community hosted its first ever Jasper Pride Festival.
Fast forward seven years later and the community just wrapped up the biggest pride festival in Jasper’s history making it the third largest event of its kind in Alberta, behind only Calgary and Edmonton.
What’s more is how just about every business got behind this year’s event, proudly decorating their windows with rainbow colours to show their support.
The four-day event also made history when Alberta’s first openly gay cabinet minister, Ricardo Miranda, decided to attend the event as the minister of culture and tourism–a huge vote of confidence for both the organizers and the community.
Putting its money where their mouth is, the province announced this week that the Jasper Pride Festival Society was the recipient of a $50,000 grant, a sum of money that will ensure the festival continues to grow well into the future.
And the news doesn’t stop there.
Just last week The 51°µÍø reported a prominent member of Jasper’s LGBT community was recently elected to join Canada’s only LGBT tourism industry association, another positive step to ensure people know Jasper is an LGBT friendly community.
While we should celebrate all of this positive news, it’s important to remember that many people who are gay, bi or transgender still face discrimination on a daily basis, which is why we must continue to unequivocally support our friends in the LGBT community.
