Organizers of a first-time event in Portage la Prairie are already anticipating a great day. Tomorrow is Portage la Prairie's first Pride March, with participants starting at the Portage Community Revitalization Office, walking down Royal Road to the Crescent, then east to 3rd Street and back up to Saskatchewan Avenue. Josh Wright's one of the event's organizers, and says when they first started discussing the idea of the event, they didn't think they'd be seeing their dreams come to fruition about a year later. 

Co-organizer Josh Wright

However, it's not just the committee hard work that has Wright excited, noting the community support has been fantastic. He notes the process of planning the event and social has gone incredibly smooth, calling that a testament to Portage's progressive nature.

"I think it means Portage is a very inclusive community, and very willing to try new things. Basically, it reflects on its people and shows all aspects of diversity in Portage la Prairie, including the LGBT community."

Wright notes they were also thrilled to have Mayor Irvine Ferris not only supporting the event but also speaking at the march and walking alongside the participants. He says that's an indicator that it promises to be an excellent day.

While a pride march or similar LGBT+ event hasn't taken place in Portage before, Wright feels it's an important showing of support and pride in the city's diverse community. He notes while a majority of feedback is from those "On the same page" as him, he admits some are unsure over just what the event means. He hopes they'll come out and witness the parade, noting one of the primary goals is to raise awareness.

"This is a very new thing for Portage la Prairie, including our movement. What we have to say to Portagers is that this is an education piece to come and learn about diversity in our community, and everyone has equal rights as human beings and that being LGBT is not a choice, people are born this way."

Wright says they're not sure just what the future holds for the event, noting they'd love to see it become an annual part of Portage's summer. However, he'd also like to see the focus of the Pride March extend beyond the LGBT+ community, eventually focusing on celebrating the diversity of all of the city's citizens.

The Pride March begins with a warm-up at 10:00 a.m., and speeches beginning at about 10:45. The march itself is set to begin at 11:00, and Wright anticipates it will continue for about 45 minutes.