Local Pride association hoping to host second annual Pride Prom in the late summer

By Mo Cranker on July 3, 2018.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com @MHNmocranker

The Medicine Hat Pride Association is looking to hold a Pride Prom event for the second consecutive year, but this year’s dance will happen later in the summer.

“The small details are still in the works but right now we’re looking at Sept. 14,” said organizer Karen La Hay. “We held a similar event last year at the Legion and it had a very good response, so we thought we’d try and do it again this year.”

The event will function just like a high school prom would, with an event in the afternoon for teenagers, then an after-hours event for adults.

“We want to have a place where everyone is comfortable being who they are,” said La Hay. “This event is for people who are gender fluid, and it’s giving them a night to be who they feel they naturally should be — judgment free, of course.

“We want people to dress and act how they feel — without feeling pressured by outside social uniformity.”

La Hay attended last year’s event and says it was a very impactful night.

“Last year’s event opened a lot of doors for me,” she said. “From that night on, I have not looked back.

“My transition has been 59 years in the making, and over that time there’s been a lot of fear and adversity. People tend to build a wall around themselves and we shut ourselves away to live a life in secret — living a double life is never fun or easy, so we want to hold events like this to allow people to be themselves, even if it’s just for a few hours.”

Last year’s event had a $5 fee at the door for the evening, and La Hay says this year’s will likely follow the same format.