MH Pride continues bottom-up rebuild
By Mo Cranker on June 11, 2018.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com @MHNmocranker Though it may not have any big, special plans for Pride Month, the Medicine Hat Pride Association is using June to continue to build itself from the ground up. “We’re in the process of reviving Medicine Hat Pride,” said board member Sharon Brown. “There’s a brand new Pride board and we are dedicated to being relevant in the community. “We are aware that when someone comes out, often they can lose their community. They can lose their families, friends and even the respect of their co-workers — our goal is to create that sense of community within Medicine Hat and the Medicine Hat Pride Association, because no one should ever feel alone or excluded from being a member of society.” While there have been a number of pride-themed events in the past, and there will continue to be many in the future, current Pride chair Becki Korhonen says the group does not want to just be known for a day or month of the year. “Pride isn’t just a week or a day,” she said. “The idea is to celebrate the fact that we can be proud of who we are, and that we don’t need to hide it. “We’re not trying to say that we’re special or entitled or anything like that. We’re all humans and want to be like everyone else, and pride is all about being human and accepting who we are and who we love.” Korhonen confirmed Saturday that there would be a pride celebration at Riverside Veterans’ Memorial Park later in the year, but added it would be toned down from previous years. “Part of the rebuilding is getting our funds back to where they need to be,” she said. “Pride this year might look a little different from previous years, but we do have the park booked and are looking forward to it.” Korhonen says the local pride group is hoping to host a number of events going forward that everyone of all ages and backgrounds can attend. “Things like barbecues and other community events are what we want to do,” she said. “Pride is for everyone, not just people who love differently or feel they are a different gender — that’s why the acronym is so long, we’re trying to include everyone. “We want to give to the community, and we’re trying to be in the community as much as we can.” After a Facebook post by the public library about one of its volunteers, Karen La Hay, took heat from a few members of the community and eventually spawned an article in the News, Brown says people should spend time with Karen before speaking about her on social media. “She is such a great person to be around,” she said. “Anyone with anything negative to say about Karen should come out to an event that she is donating time to and get to know her. “She’s living life how she wants to — we think everyone should be able to be who they want to be.” 16
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