A western-wear clad celebration of diversity and the LGBTQ2+ community will take place at Stampede July 6.
The event packed Nashville North from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and included line dancing, drag shows and an awards ceremony.
“The Stampede, an organization with so much clout in Calgary, continues to embrace our community and show by example that our community is a part of western culture and heritage,” said organizer Charles Macmichael.
Macmichael started the event back in 2012 when he realized a lot of people in the LGBTQ2+ community didn’t feel comfortable at Stampede.
“People thought well I don’t belong in that area, I don’t belong in that macho, straight, pumped-up environment and I said ‘No, we do.’”
It started with just a few friends back then but this year grew to about 2,000 people from the community and allies.
This is also the third year of the Western Trailblazer Award, which recognizes someone in the community who has been pushing to make opportunities more accessible to the LGBTQ2+ community.
Boban Stojanovic, who fled Serbia because of his LGBTQ activism, won the award for his current work helping refugees feel accepted in Calgary.
This is the seventh year Pride Day has been hosted on the grounds.
