“GLBTTQQ? Yes, we do have a community in Banff!” read one of the first posters that Mountain Pride posted in town, and things have gone steadily uphill.
In September 2005, I met Meagan Paige through Calgary Outlink’s Soulful Healing Ego Quest. By December of that year, we had decided to form a queer networking and social group for Banff, and applied for a Town of Banff grant.
At the time, I was too wary of bi-phobia to sign my name to the application. But that all changed once the group started and I learned how many other queer folk lived in my town; they just started jumping out of the woodwork! People I had worked with or said hello to in the grocery store for years turned out to be “family”. Suddenly I felt so much more positive about living in Banff, despite the lack of rainbows and parades.
The group, then nameless, was granted $396 plus free meeting space by Family & Community Support Services. We held our first meeting in January of 2006 with five attendees. By June 2006, our e-mail contact list had grown to 46 members.
When Meagan left Banff for a career opportunity, I focused on ensuring the group’s survival, not expecting it instead to grow. That year, the Town of Banff more than doubled their funding for us, and I finally dubbed the group “Mountain Pride”, establishing a blog and Facebook group and launching the logo designed and donated by volunteer Russel Cook. Two other volunteers, Kevin Richardson and Brian Dinsmore proved invaluable. They created business cards, and Brian designed and produced a banner for Mountain Pride’s participation in Calgary’s Pride Parade. They obtained hundreds of dollars of donations from Banff businesses for Pride prizes and giveaways. It was a great year thanks to these volunteers!
The group is now under the leadership of Kevin Richardson, former Calgary Outlink volunteer and alumnus of University of Alberta’s Camp fYrefly. Still 100% volunteer-run, Mountain Pride has reached a total membership of ninety-seven. Since taking over, Kevin has established a group phone and launched a website with the assistance of GayCalgary’s donation of web design and hosting. The Banff Community Foundation added their grant to the ongoing support of Town of Banff’s FCSS, who have increased their contribution annually. A University of Calgary Social Work student is on board for the summer, volunteering mainly in the communications/social area so Kevin has time for other projects.
“My focus now is to bring more stability to the group,” says Kevin, reminding me of the ongoing challenges posed by the transient nature of Banff’s population. Membership numbers fluctuate seasonally and so, therefore, do volunteers. Like many locals, Kevin himself is going traveling in November, so a new group leader will be needed. Other challenges surround the addition of minors to the membership and decisions on the group’s degree of local activism.
Though Mountain Pride continues to organize social events and provide informal peer support to a wide range of ages and orientations in the Bow Valley, the group’s mandate is expanding. Current projects include assessing employers in the area for their gay-friendliness. “I want to establish a job board,” Kevin says, as a resource for queer folk looking for work in the area. To that end, Kevin has begun contacting the Human Resources departments of various local businesses. He hopes to also increase sensitivity to matters of orientation in the interview process, and establish partners for future projects. One such project may involve a partnership with Aids Bow Valley providing sexuality education in cooperation with employers.
Mountain Pride’s regular coffee night is held on the third Friday of each month. Social events are announced both on the website and via e-mail to those who have joined the contact list. You are welcome add your letter to Banff’s alphabet soup!
Mountain Pride
Box 4556, Banff, AB
T1L 1E8
(403) 762-1947
mountainpride@gaybanff.com
www.gaybanff.com
