Advocacy Canada

06/11/2026

More than 50 community projects across B.C. have received $500 grants to combat harmful misinformation as part of the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner’s Community Amplifier initiative.

​One of the projects, Transform the Words in Kelowna, saw more than 1,000 colourful origami cranes hanging from the roof of the downtown library.

​Advocacy Canada director of communications, Alan Gonzales, says the Kelowna cranes were designed to spark conversation in the community.

​“We folded paper to share our voices. These origami cranes carry us forward, transforming division into dialogue and dialogue into community care.

Advocacy Canada is one of 50 groups to receive $500 in funding

06/03/2026

Happy Trans Pride! Learn about and its historical significance in the fight for equality and representation of the trans community from the perspective of our President and Executive Director, Wilbur Turner.

Learn about transpride and its historical significance in the fight for equality and representation within the LGBTQ community.

06/01/2026

Only a few days left to get your ticket!

Celebrate the 5th annual 50+ Indoor Pride Picnic and T-Dance with an afternoon of great music, good food, and wonderful company. DJ Altair will keep the dance floor moving while you enjoy an indoor picnic lunch and cash bar with friends old and new. All 50+ (and partners) and members of the rainbow community who want to celebrate our elders are welcome.

Celebrate the 5th annual 50+ Indoor Pride Picnic and T-Dance with an afternoon of great music, good food, and wonderful company. DJ Altair will keep the dance floor moving while you enjoy an indoor picnic lunch and cash bar with friends old and new. All 50+ (and partners) guests are welcome.Date: Su...

05/28/2026

The rainbow community has always known how to celebrate. This June 7, gather with friends and celebrate Pride at the Okanagan's annual 50+ Pride Indoor Picnic and T-Dance in Kelowna. Great music from DJ Altair, a specially prepared picnic lunch box, and a cash bar to toast the afternoon. Open to all age 50+ members of the rainbow community and their partners. Tickets are Pay What You Can. RSVP by June 5 to hold your spot and order your lunch. 🌈

Tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/okanagan-50-pride-indoor-picnic-and-t-dance

05/27/2026

Advocacy Canada was honoured to be invited to Okanagan College's Pride Kickoff event!

Thanks for all the fun!

05/27/2026

We loved sharing and celerating with everyone last night!

05/26/2026

Please help us welcome Alan Baker to the board of Advocacy Canada as Director 50+ Community Engagement. Alan (he/him) is a retired business owner originally from London, England, who relocated to the Lower Mainland in 1986 with his husband of 43 years, Malcolm. In 2019, he and Malcolm moved to Kelowna with their Golden Retriever, Fynley, where they have made their home.

Alan has lived openly as a gay man his entire life, and brings to Advocacy Canada a depth of experience that spans decades of q***r history. He lived through the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, a period that claimed far too many lives, and carries that history personally as a man living with HIV. He witnessed firsthand the trauma and stigma that defined the epidemic, and the resilience of the communities that survived it.

Alan joins the board with a commitment to two generations: to be a visible, grounded presence for aging q***r seniors who need to know they belong, and to ensure that the stories and struggles of those who came before are not lost on the q***r youth who follow. He believes the legacy of those who lived through the worst of the crisis is something the next generation deserves to inherit, and he intends to help carry it forward.

05/16/2026

Today, on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, Advocacy Canada stands with 2SLGBTQIA+ people across this country and around the world.

To every 2SLGBTQIA+ person reading this: your life and your belonging are not concessions or compromises. They are the foundation of the society we are trying to build.

05/15/2026

RSVPs are now open for the June 19th 50+ Pride Breakfast in Kelowna. We appreciate you getting your tickets online to help give the venue notice of how many are attending and to reserve seating.
Ticket link and information:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/50-pride-breakfast-june--19

05/13/2026

Rainbow Grillers BBQ brought our community together once again in this beautiful almost-summer Okanagan weather! ☀️

Hope this gathering created a space for connection, laughter, shared stories, and the simple joy of feeling seen and welcomed among both old friends and new faces alike.

Huge thanks to the volunteers, organizers, and everyone who came out and helped make the afternoon feel so warm, relaxed, and inclusive. 💖

Until the next BBQ!