New city pride guild aims to honour history, look to future
Looking to empower 2SLGBTQIA+ people and communities, Medicine Hat and District welcomes a new pride guild into its midst.
The Prairie Pride Guild is named to pay homage to the Pride Movement in Medicine Hat, says Jenni Barrientos, president at Prairie Pride Guild of Medicine Hat and District.
“Started by Donny White in the middle of the AIDS crisis in the 1990s, Prairie Pride brought together queer leaders in Medicine Hat and fought for inclusion and understanding at a time when equality was far from a reality,” said Barrientos. The original group was formed roughly 30 years ago, before sexual orientation became a protected class under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“The formation of Prairie Pride in 1994 was pivotal to the start of the Pride movement in Medicine Hat. Donny’s activism, dedication and passion helped change the landscape of Medicine Hat for the better — his risks became our rewards, and we honour his continued legacy,” said Barrientos.
They added that incorporation of this new guild now in 2024 — 30 years after the original Prairie Pride — will give the city a fresh start, and an opportunity to do good in the community, while paying respects to shared history through the name.
The new guild was inspired by a collection of articles, scrapbooks, posters and information about the Pride movement from another Prairie Pride member of the time, Charlie Thompson, which is currently live in the Esplanade Archives.
The original Prairie Pride dissolved in 1998, but Barrientos and her fellow guild members hope to pick up the torch and continue from the foundation built in decades past.
They plan to host and participate in community events, partner with other community agencies and educate and support the community to further the Pride movement in Medicine Hat and District.
“We are a Guild of eight dedicated and passionate volunteers who believe in the importance of our shared 2SLGBTQIA+ history that everyone can be proud of,” said Barrientos. The guild already has events planned for late June, to coincide with Pride Month.