Dear MSVU Community,
When I arrived at MSVU two years ago, I came just in time for Pride celebrations. As a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community myself, it was an amazing welcome party. And through that welcome, it became immediately apparent to me that our university prioritizes the inclusion of people of all sexualities and gender identities.
This year will mark my third Pride celebration at MSVU and I sincerely hope you’ll join me in making it our best yet.
Halifax Pride Parade
With last year’s parade cancelled at the last minute, we are very much looking forward to the return of the Halifax Pride Parade this year. All MSVU students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends and family, are invited to join in our 2024 parade entry (walking group). The parade will take place on Saturday, July 20, 2024 and starts at 12 p.m.; participants will need to arrive at the marshalling area earlier (details to come).
There’s a new parade route this year – you can find more information here. The route is about 2.5 km.
Please email events@msvu.ca by Monday, July 15 to sign-up for our parade walking group. Pride t-shirts will be provided to members of our group on a first come, first served basis (please indicate your preferred shirt size when you RSVP). Please also advise of any accessibility needs.
Pride BBQ
From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, we will gather for the Annual MSVU Pride BBQ as a celebration of Pride on campus. All MSVU students, faculty and staff are welcome. This is an excellent event – a great mid-summer opportunity to connect with colleagues and friends. Please RSVP by emailing events@msvu.ca before the end of day on Friday, July 19. Hope to see you there.
With June being Pride month in many jurisdictions, we’ve already raised the Pride flag on the front of Seton. The Pride movement actually began as a series of protests against police harassment that occurred at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, in June of 1969. In Halifax and at MSVU, Pride is an annual gathering celebrated primarily in July.
And of course, numerous MSVU community members are engaged year-round in 2SLGBTQIA+ research, teaching, support services, and advocacy. We are sincerely grateful for your important work.
Happy Pride!
Joël
Dr. Joël Dickinson
President and Vice-Chancellor
Mount Saint Vincent University
*2SLGBTQIA+ is an acronym for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual, while + stands for other ways individuals express their gender and sexuality outside heteronormativity and the gender binary.