Picnic offers an alternative to mainstream

Organizers call event more inclusive

A grassroots group is hosting a picnic Sunday in an attempt to offer a more inclusive event than those put on by Capital Pride, organizers say.

The McNabb Park gathering, simple enough in its smattering of food, children’s games, music and presentations, has beneath its summer-fun surface a serving of questions about what Pride has become.

The picnic’s mission statement raises serious concerns about the exclusivity of the so-called “mainstream” LGBTQ community.

“There are certain accepted norms in the overall LGBT umbrella,” says organizer Talia Johnson.

“For example, it’s almost become normative that we have gay male couples or lesbian couples.”

She also calls events such as Capital Pride “blindingly white.”

The picnic isn’t intended as the catalyst for great social change, or as a clash against the 10-day Capital Pride Festival that opened Friday, but to offer what the organizers consider to be a much-needed alternative in an LGBTQ community where many members feel unrepresented, alienated or forgotten.

To do that, the picnic has taken painstaking measures to be as inclusive as possible. It’s free and offers transportation funding to those in need, cutting away class barriers.

It will accommodate physical disabilities and those who are hearing impaired. And it’s a dry event to ensure people overcoming substance abuse are comfortable.

The event will also have quiet spaces and people on hand who are willing to talk to anyone needing an open ear.

“The way that I look at it is that Capital Pride and particularly the Pride Parade … celebrates the gains that have been made for the overall LGBT or queer community,” says Johnson, “whereas an event such as the picnic is recognizing and focusing on what still needs to be done, and what we still need to accomplish.” In short, it’s a lot. Johnson says, “We still have a lot of education to do about the trans umbrella and what falls under that, and the various ways that gender identity and gender expression show themselves in different people of different experiences.”

She adds that trans people of colour in particular, and LGBTQ people with disabilities, are a largely ignored group.

The picnic hopes to not only invite marginalized people into pride celebrations, but also begin a dialogue about how the LGBTQ community can be stripped of its exclusivity.

The event runs Sunday noon to 4 p.m. at McNabb Park in Chinatown.