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The Steinbach Pride March will take to the streets Sunday afternoon and drivers are asked to be mindful of the related street closures.
Tammie Martens and Chris Plett of the Steinbach Pride Board are excited for another year of the Pride March.
“We are actually able to walk on the street again this year. So, we'll be shutting down the one side of Main St. and we're going to head on down to Reimer. Once we get to Reimer, we'll head over to Elmdale and then back up through to K.R. Barkman Park, just past where, sadly, the arena used to be,” Plett explains.
To be more specific, Steinbach Staff Sergeant Guy Landerville says the westbound lanes of Main Street will be closed from Kroeker Avenue to Reimer Avenue starting at 1:30 PM. He adds they expect the lanes to be closed to traffic for around 30 minutes before being reopened.
There will be multiple speakers at Steinbach Pride this year including a local youth advocate.
“We have a very inspiring story from Alex, who is from Vita. It's a young person who started the GSA up in that school. Alex was able to speak at Winnipeg Pride at their rally, which, I can't imagine how hard that would be for somebody from a small town to now have to speak in front of thousands of people and now again in front of a couple hundred people here in Steinbach,” Plett says.
In addition to speeches and the march, they will also have vendors and live entertainment, something Plett says is brand-new.
Martens says it is a time for conversations and questions.
“They get us thinking, they get other people thinking,” Martens explains. “We welcome everything as long as it's positive, constructive, educational and peaceful. We had a few conversations with people who almost felt guilty because they weren't educated enough about a certain subject to be supportive or not supportive. They didn't even know what the conversations were about. So, they felt secure enough to come to us, and ask questions, and be educated. And they came away, maybe not with a different opinion, but feeling a lot more comfortable about it.”
Finally, they encourage open discussions not just during Pride Day or month but at any time.
“We encourage positive and peaceful conversations anywhere, anytime,” Martens says, “That is something that is inspiring to us as well. We love to connect with people in the community. Inclusivity means that even if you aren't in agreeance, you are respectful, tolerant, and you give everyone space to have those conversations.”
Rain or shine, the Steinbach Pride March is on Sunday, June 25, at 1 pm at K.R. Barkman Park.
With files from Dave Anthony and Corny Rempel.