How you can help celebrate Pride at UCalgary

Calgary Pride will be celebrated across the city from Aug. 23 to Sept. 2. A diverse and inclusive community is critical to the success of a great university, and the University of Calgary is proud to be part of four unique celebrations.

Here are four ways you can help us celebrate on campus:

1. For the first time, UCalgary has commissioned a Pride art installation for the stairs of MacEwan Student Centre, facing the TFDL Quad. The art will be in place for the duration of Calgary Pride Week. Make sure you take some time to check it out and share it on social media!

2. UCalgary is raising the Pride flag on campus outside the Rozsa Centre on Aug. 23, coinciding with the start of Pride week. Join us for the ceremony open to all students, faculty, staff and community members. Both the flag and art installation on campus will be using the new Progress Pride flag created by American artist Daniel Quasar. 

What’s different about this flag?

The flag incorporates the traditional six-striped rainbow flag, as well as white, pink, light blue, brown, and black stripes in an arrow. The light blue, pink, and white stripes on the left come from the transgender flag, and the brown and black stripes represent people of colour, those living with AIDS, those no longer living, and the stigma surrounding them. “The trans flag stripes and marginalized community stripes were shifted to the hoist of the flag and given a new arrow shape. The arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made,” says Quasar.

3. The University of Calgary is one of the biggest participants in the Calgary Pride Parade on Sunday, Sept. 1, with a float, representation from 13 faculties, gender and sexually diverse student clubs, and more than 400 walking participants.

4. Cheer on the UCalgary community at the Pride Parade, share your photos and video by tagging @UCalgary and using #yycpride for a chance to be featured on our Twitter and Instagram accounts. UCalgary will host a booth located within the marketplace at the Pride in the Park festival. The booth will provide information on research, programs and services on campus, including faculty representatives, student clubs, and student, faculty and staff resources and programs.