This June and all summer long, members of the LGBTQ+ community and friends, family, allies and advocates will celebrate Pride Season in Canada. While June is designated as International Pride Month, Pride events take place throughout the year in many communities.

The first Pride march was held in New York City on June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. In Canada, the first Gay Liberation and Protest March took place on August 28, 1971, when approximately 100 people gathered on Parliament Hill to present the government with a list of demands for equal rights and protections. Two years later, in 1973, organizers began holding Pride Week events in major Canadian cities.

This year, Vancouver will host Canada Pride from July 26 to August 4, an event that highlights the critical importance of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights on a global scale. To learn more about supporting LGBTQ+ youth, see Volume 11, No. 2 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.