COQUITLAM, B.C., May 30, 2024 – This June, the City of Coquitlam invites you to celebrate Pride Month and show your support for the LGBTQ2S+ community. Explore a wide range of activities tailored for all age groups, designed to foster meaningful connections and strengthen our inclusive community spirit.
Starting June 1, Coquitlam will showcase its support for the LGBTQ2S+ community by flying the Pride flag at City Hall and displaying over 115 Pride banners across the city, including Town Centre Park, City Centre, Poirier civic precinct and various city facilities. These flags, alongside the rainbow-coloured lighting on Pinetree Way and the enduring rainbow crosswalk on Burlington Avenue, symbolize the City’s commitment to inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
Pride Month in Coquitlam underscores the City’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). This initiative is a key part of our ongoing efforts to create a welcoming atmosphere across all City programs and facilities, and within the broader community.
Events and Activities Scheduled Throughout the Month
Join us for a variety of engaging events, including cooking classes, barbecues, youth-only karaoke, and skating, all designed to foster learning and support for the LGBTQ2S+ community in a welcoming environment. Highlighting Coquitlam’s commitment to safer, inclusive spaces, these activities offer great opportunities for building connections within our community.
The City is grateful for the support from our corporate partners: Vancity, Douglas College and TD. Be sure to attend the Maillardville Families Celebrate Pride event on June 8 and the Poirier Youth Celebrate Pride! 2nd Annual BBQ on June 21. Enjoy giveaways and fun activities, courtesy of our corporate partners and community organizations.
Attend the Coquitlam Pride Festival in July
Mark your calendars for the second annual Coquitlam Pride Festival, organized by the Tri-Cities Pride Society. Join us on Saturday, July 20, at the Evergreen Cultural Centre and the new Town Centre Park Community Centre for a day packed with family-friendly events, workshops, entertainment, and food from 12-5 p.m. For updates, visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca/coquitlam-pride. evergreenculturalcentre.ca/coquitlam-pride.
What is Pride Month?
Every June, we celebrate Pride Month to honour the LGBTQ2S+ community and commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York -- a turning point for gay rights in the United States. Pride Month, and the broader, summer-long Pride Season, is a time to champion freedom and equality, and the diverse contributions of the LGBTQ2S+ community, which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and two-spirit people, and anyone who identifies as part of sexual and gender diverse communities.
Local LGBTQ2S+ Resources and Supports
Explore local resources ensuring a more inclusive, safe environment for LGBTQ2S+ individuals:
For more resources, visit coquitlam.ca/Pride.
Ongoing Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
As an organization, Coquitlam is on a journey to better serve its vibrant and diverse community by applying the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion to guide the City’s policies, operations, language and services. As a top business priority, our EDI work aims to break down barriers to ensure that everyone – regardless of ability, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation and other diversity characteristics – has access to a safe and welcoming environment.
Learn more at coquitlam.ca/EDI.
Media contact:
Kathleen Vincent
Manager, Communications and Civic Engagement
media@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-kwuh-tlum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), and other Coast Salish Peoples.