Southwest Sask Pride was able to host a well-attended and supported pride march around downtown Swift Current on Saturday.
The various members and supporters took to Central Avenue North and made a lap around the main strip from the North Railway Street West intersection to the Chaplin Street East intersection. Pride also had a booth at Market Square, offering various pins and baubles showing support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Jesse Koethler, board chair for Southwest Sask Pride, helped lead the march, and they were pleased with the support they saw from the general public.
"Every year there are new faces (joining in)," said Koethler. "People move to Swift Current or the area and come to our Pride Centre. People from all over the place are coming here to be a part of it, so there is a whole lot of support across the board."
Koethler says that support right now is important, considering the struggles going on in the United States.
"Things are getting pretty dire over there for queer folks and trans folks in particular," said Koethler. "But things like this are a really clear reminder that it's not everybody's like that."
The march helped cap off Pride Week in Swift Current, which Koethler says was a big success. Being the tenth annual Pride Week, this year saw the return of favourite events like the Drag Show on Saturday night at the Lyric Theatre, and the introduction of new programming like Dungeons and Dragons at the Pride Centre.
"DnD has really taken off at the Pride Centre this year," said Koethler. "Just last night (Friday), they had an open house which I'm told had two full tables of people, and they went for hours and hours. So, that's definitely gonna be something we continue doing."
Anyone interested in learning more about Southwest Sask Pride can visit the Pride Centre. Koethler encourages people to stop by even if they aren't looking to do anything more than hang out, enjoy some snacks, and chat with people.