Barrie Pride

09/02/2026

08/28/2026

08/28/2026

Today marks the 55th anniversary of the We Demand Rally, a landmark demonstration in the history of gay rights in Canada.

Learn more about 2SLGBTQIA+ people and history in Canada with our new research guide:

Link: https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/research-help/social-history/2slgbtqia-communities-guide.html

08/23/2026

Canada opened its first national monument to LGBTQ+ people on Friday, and it only exists because the Canadian government spent forty years hunting gay people out of their own jobs.

From the 1950s into the mid-1990s, the military, the RCMP and the federal public service investigated and forced out anyone suspected of being gay, le***an, bisexual or trans.

Researchers estimate around 9,000 lives were upended. Todd Ross was discharged from the navy in 1990, with paperwork stating he was "not advantageously employable due to homosexuality."

The government even funded a device to help with the hunt, measuring pupils, pulse and perspiration while subjects were shown provocative images. It never worked. It ran for years anyway, and became known as the "Fruit Machine."

Survivors sued. A class action brought by 719 of them ended in a $145 million settlement, and $15 million of that was set aside to build a monument in downtown Ottawa.

It is called Thunderhead, a white column with cloud-shaped openings, and Ross, now co-chair of the LGBT Purge Fund, had a hand in what went inside it.

"Really to gay it up, we lined it with mirrored tiles so it feels like you're inside of a giant disco ball," he told CBC.

08/22/2026

08/21/2026

We’re in the BACK ROOM at C.W. Coop’s tonight!! Come say hi 💃🕺

08/19/2026

Thursday August 20th is our next monthly sociable! We will be in the back room with some craft supplies, or bring your own work-in-progress! 🧶🧵✂️📝

Come on down to CW Coop’s (3 Mulcaster Street) to hang out, play some games, make a new friend, and have some delicious food and drinks from our lovely hosts. As always, we’ve also got resources, stickers, colouring pages, info packets, and great company… so grab a friend or 3 and we’ll see you there!

As per the venue, anyone under the age of 19 must be accompanied by a guardian after 9:00pm.

Please note:​ Barrie Pride has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy towards bullying, harassment, and intimidation at our events. We aim to create a safe and welcoming place for all, and ask that you do your part to maintain it. Any harassment, violence, or attempts therein will be reported to safeguard the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

(PS absolutely no AI was used in the making of this poster regardless of what meta is telling you

07/30/2026

Want to support the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Ontario? By supporting LGBT YouthLine, you're supporting q***r and trans youth all over the province! 👏🩷

Every donation gets us closer to our $150,000 emergency fundraising goal, helping ensure that we can continue providing life-changing peer support to 2SLGBTQ+ youth for years to come. ✨ 🌈

If you need someone to talk to, please feel free to reach out to our peer support HelpLine. You can reach us online at youthline.ca or by text at (647) 694 4275.