City kickstarts new era of Hamilton Pride - with government funding
The city is giving $7,500 to Hamilton Pride 2016 celebrations, and plans to work with the new organizers
It's a "historical wrong" that the city has never been formally involved in Hamilton Pride celebrations, says one councillor. And with a $7,500 contribution this week, it's righting that.
Aidan Johnson says for years, a fluctuating group of overworked volunteers have organized LGBTQ Pride events in June.
Some years there are picnics. Some years there are dances. Some years there's a week of events, but lately, there's just one or two.
It's sort of a sign of a coming of age for a city that it pulls off a successful Pride.- Coun. Aidan Johnson
It's time, he said, for a new era – one with formal city support and robust events that draw tourists.
"Every year, the Hamilton community relies on a select few heroic volunteers to magically step forward," the Ward 1 councillor said. "That's not a sustainable model."
With a city council vote Wednesday, Johnson hopes that changes. At his urging, the city will give $7,500 to the newest Hamilton Pride iteration to host Pride at the Pier on June 18.
It was a rushed request, but it's time, said Johnson, who is Hamilton's first openly gay city councillor.
Pride events aren't even just about LGBTQ rights, he said, but about celebrating authenticity and acceptance.
"It's sort of a sign of a coming of age for a city that it pulls off a successful Pride."
Johnson said Pride organizers didn't even realize they could apply for city money until he pointed it out to them.
Different things have happened in different years, and the committee keeps collapsing and reforming, collapsing and reforming. It's a complicated history.- Aidan Johnson
At first, Johnson asked for a $15,000 grant for the $24,500 event. But several councillors said that was too much.
They cited a policy that city enrichment fund grants not exceed 30 per cent of an event's total cost. They settled unanimously on $7,500.
"If we do it for one, we have to do it for everybody," said Coun. Judi Partridge of Ward 15, who added that she otherwise supports the celebration.
I'm grinning from ear to ear right now.- Daniel Anderson, president, Hamilton Pride
Daniel Anderson, president of the new Hamilton Pride committee, is thrilled.
"It's $7,500 more than what we had last year," he said. "I'm grinning from ear to ear right now."
By September, Anderson said, volunteers hope to start work on building a sustainable organization. He welcomes the city's involvement.
"It'll be good to have someone who's going to put some real support behind it."
Pride at the Pier is 12 noon to 8 p.m. at Pier 4 in Hamilton. It will include a beer tent, food trucks, a vendor marketplace and a drag show.