Over the course of the past year, the Calgary Police Service, VOICES and Calgary Pride (with support from the Calgary Police Commission, the CPS Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisory Board and the Mayor’s Office) have been actively working with the gender and sexually diverse (GSD) community to improve relations and address concerns raised by marginalized people.

Following the decision for police not to march in uniform at last year’s Pride Parade, this group of stakeholders committed to work together to improve relationships. Since August 2017, a number of initiatives have been undertaken, including a series of town hall meetings, which CPS have committed to continuing to ensure meaningful ongoing engagement with the community.

"Calgary’s gender and sexually diverse (GSD) community is rapidly growing, and as a society we are becoming increasingly more aware of the complexities of authentically fostering inclusive ways of knowing and living," said Jason Kingsley, President and Executive Producer of Calgary Pride. "While the GSD liberation movement was born out of protest, in more recent years the focus of many festivities have shifted towards that of a celebration. Celebrating our progress is an important aspect of modern queer culture; however, it must be balanced with an understanding of, and respect for, the past and present realities of intersectionality and the challenges still faced by many in our community. Through their participation with Calgary Pride, CPS are demonstrating a willingness to begin rebuilding trust with all segments of the GSD community, and we are excited to continue this work with them."

"We have learned a lot over the past year through our discussions with the community and Calgary Pride," said Deputy Chief Sat Parhar with the Calgary Police Service. "Our commitment to the gender and sexually diverse community extends well beyond what happens at the Pride Parade and our focus has always been on building relationships with the community every day of the year."

All parties agree there is more work to be done and conversations with the broader community will continue. CPS will continue to work closely with the GSD community, especially through members of the CPS Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisory Board, to share perspectives and find solutions to the challenges we face in Calgary.

"As the Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisory Board, our ongoing commitment is to build the bridge between the Calgary Police Service and the Gender and Sexual Diverse population so we can continue to strengthen the relationship between the community and police," said the CPS Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisory Board.

"Getting out into the community, hearing the concerns and experiences of citizens, and developing partnerships is the foundation of Calgary’s community policing model," said Brian Thiessen, Chair of the Calgary Police Commission. "Our journey with the GSD community is ongoing. We will continue to work together to find new ways to advance equality, and promote inclusion and improve trust in police."

Collaboratively, all stakeholders reached a joint decision that, while there will be no official CPS entry in the parade, CPS members are being warmly invited to participate out of formal uniform, while still identifying as members of CPS, with any community organizations in the parade with which they have an affinity, in solidarity with the GSD community.

"VOICES is committed to working alongside CPS, Pride, and the Mayor on issues related to racialized and marginalized communities in Calgary," said VOICES spokesperson Evans Yellow Old Woman. "Although there is much to celebrate, there is still far more work to be done and we are committed and hopeful that this dialogue will result in a relationship built on trust, creating a safer community for all Calgarians. We believe that this work aims to achieve what the first Pride set out to do: to create a relationship of trust and respect between law enforcement and the GSD community."

"I’m proud that the community and the Calgary Police Service have come together in this way," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. "These continue to be challenging, but necessary, conversations. I am confident we are all committed to ensuring this is a city where everyone feels safe and can live a life of dignity."

Signed,

Jason Kingsley, President & Executive Producer, Calgary Pride

Deputy Chief Sat Parhar, Calgary Police Service

Evans Yellow Old Woman, Voices

Aaron Thorsten, Co-Chair, Chief’s Gender and Sexual Diversity Board

Brian Thiessen, Chair, Calgary Police Commission

Mayor Naheed Nenshi

The 2018 Calgary Pride Parade takes place on Sunday, September 2nd in downtown Calgary, beginning at 11:00am. The 28th Annual Parade is the culmination of the Calgary Pride Festival, which runs from August 24th to September 3rd.