Schweitzer attends K-Days Pride Day to boost ‘new blue’ image

Doug Schweitzer wants to change the perception that a United Conservative Party leadership candidate could seem out of place at an event like Pride Day at K-Days.

“I think the United Conservative Party has a long way to go to build bridges with the LGBTQ community and make sure that people know that we want to have an inclusive and diverse province,” the Calgary lawyer, who is the only declared leadership candidate other than Brian Jean, said at the event Friday.

K-Days Pride Day, hosted with Edmonton Pride, featured a special flag display and a Pride-themed concert lineup, but community and visibility was at its core. Attendees could purchase Pride flag socks for $10 that gave them discounted admission to the exhibition. The funds raised will be distributed to LGBTQ charities in rural parts of northern Alberta.

Recent controversies with LGBTQ issues in Schweitzer’s party, and its separate predecessors, have been widely discussed, including this week’s revelations that interim party leader Nathan Cooper once worked for a group that was vocal in its opposition to LGBTQ rights.

Schweitzer, who promotes himself as “new blue,” said the key to creating an inclusive party is to surround himself with similar mindsets.

He said one LGBTQ issue that is of particular importance to him is to make sure people know his party isn’t going to out youth who join a gay-straight alliance at school.

Alyssa Demers of Edmonton Pride said the political climate abroad and at home in Alberta makes an event like K-Days Pride Day even more meaningful.

“In the face of all this injustice that has been happening to our community, we do see allied groups really stepping up to show their support, and not only to say that they support us, but showing us in tangible ways,” she said.

Among the crowd, the Pride flag socks stood out, especially on members of Marc Bouffard’s family. He said he’s pleased to see the event.

“It’s always been on my agenda that sexual preference isn’t something that should be discriminated against,” he said.

Laura Marvin, fresh from taking a selfie with her daughter, called the event fantastic.

“Alberta has a long way to go when it comes to accepting and granting rights,” she said. “And I think this is a great way to start off.”

GREG SOUTHAM Pride Festival Society chair Warren Becker sells pride socks on Friday as K-Days held its first partnership with the society. The socks, on sale at the Northlands store, included discounted admission.