Halifax Public Library's Spring Garden Road branch has been making a joyful and gay noise all month.

The library is playing host to an exhibit detailing the history of Halifax Pride all month long. It was commissioned as a "look back" at how a protest march in 1988 became a festival over a quarter century.

This Friday at noon, exhibit designer and GLBTQ activist Chris Aucoin will be presenting a guided talk about the exhibit. For more info, check out the Facebook event page.

Errata: The original version of this post noted that the discussion would take place today, Thursday the 14th. Down East regrets this error.

The Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project announced its list of community heroes this afternoon. 

First up is Karen Finnigan, who received the Reverend Darlene Young Community Hero Award. Finnigan is a social worker for the Cape Breton District Health Authority who has worked to create safer spaces for LGBTQ Cape Bretoners.

The second is Jesiah MacDonald, who received the Raymond Taavel Media Award. MacDonald became an accidental spokesperson for transgender rights when it was reported that he was being charged by MSI for a medically necessary hysterectomy, claiming that it was part of his transition process. MacDonald was quoted as saying, "Someone's got to talk about it because if I don't stand up and say this is what happened to me and this is why it was wrong, then what if it happens to somebody else?"

And last, but certainly not least, is prideHealth, the recipient of this year's Corporate Stewardship Award. A collaboration between Capital Health and the IWK, prideHealth has been doing a lot of work over the past year, from creating an It Gets Better video, to hosting discussions and forums and more. 

Kudos and congrats to all the winners!

 

Pride in Halifax isn't just a bunch of parties, although those are rather fun. It also includes public presentations, lectures and discussions about queer identity, past, present and future. Here are a few you may want to check out.

prideHealth is putting on a series of lectures and presentations during Halifax Pride Week. Cybelle Rieber, from prideHealth, believes that Pride is a perfect time to “provide opportunities for learning and discussion about the state of healthcare for our community and the needs of the community. It is important to both Capital Health and the IWK to engage with the Pride community in a number of ways, and these sessions are really about building capacity.”

The presentations include talks on such subjects as healthcare and queer women; the screening of a documentary called Gen Silent, about the issues that queer seniors face in long-term care; as well as a discussion of transgender issues and accessing healthcare. For more information, check out prideHealth's website.

NSRAP is also putting on its annual lecture series, called timeOUT. Topics range from the grassroots history of Pride in Halifax to the Canadian Charter of Rights And Freedoms' 30th anniversary.

"The lecture series is NSRAP's major contribution to the Pride events in Halifax,” says NSRAP’s Kevin Kindred. “We do it to make sure there's a good forum to learn more about the social and political issues of interest to the community -- we see Pride as a time for discussion and contemplation, as well as celebration. Every year we try to offer a variety, and this year is no exception. Our topics range from aboriginal issues, to healthcare, to the Charter, to the nature of Pride itself. We hope there's something there for everyone."

You can find out more by contacting NSRAP.