Gay Syrian refugee to lead parade
Kelowna Pride has named Syrian refugee Anas Qartoumeh as grand marshal for the Pride March this Saturday.
“I would love to deliver this message to conservative parents in the Middle East and across the world,” said Qartoumeh. “Being gay is not a choice . . . . Please learn from Canada.”
The theme for Pride 2018 is “Pride in Diversity.”
“Anas has been on an extraordinary journey to get to here,” former Kelowna Pride president Dustyn Baulkham said in a press release. “He reminds us of what is still unfortunately happening to LGBT2Q+ people in some parts of the world. At Pride, we march for those who are not able to live as their authentic selves.” In Syria, being gay is criminalized. Qartoumeh grew up in fear, watching Pride parades on TV and dreaming of emigrating.
When the civil war broke out in his country, tensions escalated. Rumours spread that members of ISIS were throwing members of the LGBT2Q+ community off buildings.
Qartoumeh fled to Lebanon, then to Iraq. He applied to Canada as a refugee and was on a wait-list when he found Vancouver-based non-profit organization Rainbow Refugees. They connected him with the Central Okanagan Refugee Committee.
Qartoumeh arrived in Kelowna in November 2017, greeted by a group of his sponsors waving rainbow flags.
Qartoumeh now works as a senior accountant at KPMG.
He will be telling his story before the parade in Stuart Park on Saturday afternoon.
Participants will begin marshalling for the parade at 1 p.m.