Pride Month 2026: What Pride Looks Like at RRC Polytech
June marks Pride Month, a time to celebrate the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and recognize their voices, contributions, resilience, and progress.
Pride Month traces its roots to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, when members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and their supporters stood up against police violence and discrimination at the Stonewall Inn. This moment became a turning point for the modern 2SLGBTQ+ rights movement and inspired years of advocacy, protest, and progress around the world.
Why Pride Still Matters and the Importance of Allyship
Despite progress in rights and representation, many people in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community still face discrimination, exclusion, and safety concerns. Visibility is important, but being seen doesn’t always mean being included, respected, or safe.
This is why Pride still matters. Pride is a celebration of identity, resilience, and the progress of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but it also reminds us that the work isn’t done. Challenges remain, and real change requires continuous action.
Allyship is how we turn visibility into meaningful support and change. It means actively supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community through steps like:
- Listening and learning from others’ experiences
- Speaking up against unfair treatment
- Supporting and validating people’s identities
- Amplifying voices that are often ignored
- Creating spaces where 2SLGBTQIA+ people feel welcome and valued
Pride is both a celebration and a call to action. By showing up, learning, and acting alongside the community, we can transform visibility into true inclusion and continue addressing the challenges that remain.
Pride at RRC Polytech
At RRC Polytech, Pride is reflected through community participation, allyship, and creating inclusive spaces for students and staff.
Winnipeg Pride Parade
Over the past several years, RRC Polytech has proudly joined the Winnipeg Pride Parade, one of Manitoba’s largest celebrations of diversity, inclusion, and community pride.
On June 1, 2025, more than 335 students and staff marched together in support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, gathering alongside thousands at the Manitoba Legislative Building to celebrate visibility, belonging, and inclusion.
Check out the Pride Parade Photos on RRC Polytech’s Flickr page.
Behind the Pride Float
One of the most recognizable parts of RRC Polytech’s participation in Pride is the annual Pride float.
The float is a collaborative project led by the Pride Planning Committee and built by teams from the School of Skilled Trades and Technologies. It features RRC Polytech’s personalized Pride design, an evolution of the Progress Pride flag that represents all members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and includes specific Indigenous elements. This reflects the Polytechnic’s ongoing commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation.
Each year, the float is updated to better support 2SLGBTQIA+ students, staff, and community members attending the parade. This year, accessibility is a key focus, with efforts underway to ensure the float is welcoming for all participants, reflecting RRC Polytech’s broader commitment to inclusion.
Community Voices: Reflections on Pride Month
Leading up to Pride Month, students and staff shared reflections on what Pride means to them and why participating matters. Each perspective helps build a broader understanding of Pride and its impact within our community. These stories highlight how Pride creates connection, belonging, learning, and support.
What Pride Month means to us personally and within the community
Angela Chow, People Services
“My family and close friends are part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. I love and am proud of them. In 2024, I reached a turning point when I started participating in Pride activities and learning from the experiences of those around me. Since then, Pride Month has become a personal awakening, inspiring me to actively support my friends and family, show up for and walk alongside the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and continue learning from the people I care about.”
What attending the Winnipeg Pride Parade felt like
Emily Doer, College and Public Relations
“Participating in the Winnipeg Pride Parade with the RRC Polytech community always reminds me why I’m proud to work here – because we show up for one another and create spaces where people feel safe and supported. In recent years, being able to bring my young children along has made it especially meaningful, giving us the chance to talk about allyship, belonging, and the power of community.”
Marion Queen Ramos, student, Applied Computer Education (ACE)
“June 2024 was my first Pride. I arrived in Canada in December 2023. I had traveled to fifteen countries, but nowhere had I felt free enough to wave a rainbow flag and stand fully in my truth.
In front of the RRC Polytech float, with the flag in my hands and the sun above me, something shifted. Years of fear, silence, and self-doubt gave way to a profound sense of freedom. For the first time, I was not hiding. I was celebrating the person I had always been.
That experience captures more than a joyful moment. It marks the day I chose authenticity over fear. After all the places I had visited, the greatest journey was finding the courage to come home to myself.”
Memorable moments from past parades
Erika Blatz, Executive Office – VP Academic Office
“Yes—there’s a moment that’s stayed with me since the last Pride Parade. It was when a wave of cheers rolled through the street and strangers started smiling at one another like we’d known each other for years. I remember the rainbow flags catching the light, the music pulsing, and people along the route reaching out for high-fives and hugs—little gestures that felt unexpectedly powerful. In that instant, it wasn’t just a celebration; it felt like a shared promise that everyone belonged exactly as they are. That sense of connection and affirmation is the exact reason I keep coming back to the Pride Parade.”
Laina Hughes, College and Public Relations
“Last year, my family and I attended the Pride Parade for the first time together. My kids were excited about all the rainbows and stickers, though I also wanted to explain what Pride was about in a way they’d understand. I remember telling my then-4-year-old daughter that it was important to celebrate Pride because everyone should be free to love who they want to love, and she just looked at me and said, “I know, Mommy!” like it was the most simple thing in the world. Because, it is.”
Why showing up at Pride matters
Dr Obren Amiesimaka, Academic Executive Administration
“Joyful visibility! It is always important to be visible in queer joy, doubly so in these times when 2SLGBTQIA+ rights are under attack; to show the world that we are here, always have been and always will be. It is also a message of love to queer folx who are struggling and/or unable to be out; it says that they are not alone, they are perfect and whenever they’re ready, there is a big community waiting to welcome them.”
Felipe Gomes, Marketing and Web Presence
“Showing up at Pride is deeply personal to me because it represents a journey I once never thought I could fully live. Before moving to Canada, I was closeted in Brazil and often afraid to fully express my sexuality, personality, and authentic self. Volunteering as Marketing Director and serving on the board of Pride Winnipeg became a full-circle experience: it gave me the opportunity not only to embrace who I am openly, but also to help create spaces where others could feel seen, celebrated, and safe to do the same. Being part of the RRC Polytech Pride Parade reminds me how powerful visibility, community, and belonging can be.”
Terri-Lynn Anderson, School of Continuing Education
“Attending Pride is personally important to me because I bring my children each year to model acceptance, celebrate diversity, and show them that our family stands for inclusion and belonging. It’s also an opportunity to demonstrate my commitment to accepting them as their authentic selves and for them to know that they can be who they are, as they are, and they will also feel loved and supported by my husband and me.”
Pride Month Kickoff at the Interlake and Peguis-Fisher River Campus
A big shoutout to the Interlake and Peguis-Fisher River Campus in Selkirk for kicking off Pride Month on April 16 with a student-led celebration. The event, organized by Business Administration students, brought the campus community together through activities, conversations, and resources focused on Pride and inclusion.
One highlight was a surprise performance by a student from the Health Unit Clerk program, creating a meaningful and uplifting moment. The event fostered a welcoming and positive space for all attendees.
Show your Pride with RRC Polytech!
This Pride Month, RRC Polytech encourages students, staff, and community members to take part in Pride Month activities throughout June.
2026 Winnipeg Pride Parade and Rally
March alongside students, staff, and allies with the RRC Polytech Pride float to show your support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
- Date: Sunday, June 7, 2026
- Rally: 10:00 a.m. at the Manitoba Legislative Grounds
- Parade: begins shortly after 11:00 a.m.
Participants are encouraged to re-wear last year’s bright yellow Pride shirts as part of sustainability efforts. A limited number of new shirts will also be available.
Register today to reserve your shirts and let us know you’ll be walking with us!
Pembina Valley Pride event in Winkler
Be part of the first-ever Pembina Valley Pride celebration! RRC Polytech’s Winkler Campus will host a booth with games and giveaways, connecting with the local community.
- Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026,
- Location: Triple E Mainstage, 1201 Grandeur Avenue, Winkler, MB
- Rally: 12:00 p.m. at RRC Polytech’s booth
- March: begins shortly after 1:00 p.m.
Participants are encouraged to re-wear last year’s bright yellow Pride shirts as part of sustainability efforts.
Pride Film Screening at Steinbach Campus
Experience the moving story of ‘Parade: Queer Acts of Love & Resistance’, followed by a short, guided discussion.
Portage la Prairie Pride event
Join Portage Campus in partnership with Portage la Prairie Pride for a Pride Walk. The campus will serve as a safe meeting space to launch the walk.
- Date: Saturday, June 27, 2026
- Please follow Pride Portage la Prairie | Facebook for event details.
Pride Month is both a celebration and a reminder of the ongoing work toward inclusion, dignity, and human rights.
At RRC Polytech, Pride is reflected not only through events and symbols, but also through the people who share their stories, support one another, and help build a more welcoming community.
This June, we invite you to take part not only in celebration, but also in continued learning, connection, and action.