pride – > > Pogwarki

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski

My second Pride Day in New Westminster. I like it because it is not really just an LGBTQ+ community. The entire main street (Columbia, where I live) is turn for entire afternoon-evening for a multitude of attractions, removed from car traffic, with stages for live music performances and dances, an open market with numerous kiosks selling everything (always with some cheap gay/lesbian trinket-touch, LOL) and offering some good social advise, information how to do this or that. That is sensible. Of course the commercial aspect of vendors is predominant, but I suppose that it is how things are these days with everything. What is most important is the fact that everyone and everybody is invited: gay, straight and everything in between. The street really turns into extra busy and extra friendly throngs of people. A lot dressed up for that occasion in funny and colorful attires, costumes, but also in traditional albeit a bit more for the occasion attire.

Three main music stages/dance spots did not disappoint me: music from old swing to modern pop and mechanical types was playing well and to my pleasure there was none of that ‘lubu-dubu-do’ of base that the other day made me tired. A good musician knows how to use the instruments. Loud is not an answer to musicality, au contraire my amigos.

Even the dogs were dressed (I mean really dressed up, LOL) for that occasion and to my delight appeared to be happy and enjoying themselves among the throngs. Local police wore proudly their badges in rainbow colours. I have always thought that New West police force was the handsomest in the entire Lower Mainland. About twenty years ago I remember I was crossed with them, when during some routine police check-stop they refuse to perform a proper body search on me. I even complained to them sternly that they don’t do their job properly and more thoroughly. They just laughed. Hmmm…

Of course I miss a bit the Pride Parades, Pride Marches and old fashion gay/lesbian only crowds. There is hardly anything anywhere like that anymore. The names and locales remained – but the clientele is just a regular mix of gay/straight. Mostly all over the world (civilized world). And the blame rests mainly on gay/lesbian/plus folks, who allowed it to happen. Moreover – they have welcomed it saying: now we are truly all the same. We are not. We are gay, they are straight. The difference is rather obvious, I think. It was nice in the old days to have a place you could call not only ‘my place’ but it was always a safe place. Now I feel always that have around a chaperon with me, who makes sure I act ‘appropriately’. Generation or two of young gay-lesbian-plus people don’t even know what they are missing. But that is a subject away from today musings and reporting.

The afternoon was loud a bit, but very nice, friendly. One of the reasons I maintain my affinity for Canada – it always was in the foreground of human rights, respect and diversity. And in some countries have seen a sad movement of pushing us back to the closet, so to speak. You have to be vigilant. Rights that are not cherished and protected could be taken away by an ideological and political change of attitude.We has seen things like that.

Bogumil Pacak-Gamalski

Saturday August 16, 2025 was culmination of Pride Week in New West, and traditionally there was a very popular parade. Unlike the huge march in Vancouver with floats and thousands of people marching long route through the city – in West the parade is a parade of the entire downtown core and whoever wants to come. I was glad that it was extended all the way to the old train station building (a popular restaurant for many years now). Back in the day it was a short two blocks of partying and dancing between 4th and 6th Streets. Nowadays it takes the entire length of the street from 4th by the Queens Hotel to 8th by the old tran station. There was no march but just folks mingling with each other and multitude of kiosks offering trinkets, food, drinks, fun games, information booths, There were stages for dance music, stages for performances. Loads and lots of fun – simple. And thousands of people showed up. Met quite a few old friends back from my time, when I lived on the other side of the river, in Surrey. They were grayer, older – but still kicking the butts, LOL. Among them the organizers of the parades in New West and in Holland Park in Surrey, where I first get to know them personally and chatted with them many times. They are still doing the same here, although Surrey no longer does big event for gay community. I think that was at that time in Surrey’s Holland Park I met first time Jeremy Perry, who was still single guy at that time (or was it in the old Heritage Pub in New West and in Surrey we just simply met and chatted – can’t remember that now). Jeremy is now happily married but still works hard for the community in New West. Great guy.

Voila – the guys who works their butts out for years for the community:

… and in New West, 2025 – thank you guys. And Jeremy, where is he? On the picture of course, with me next to him, in the same park in Surrey and the same year 2014.

I will start with few picture prior to the actual parade to show you the hard work organizers and vendors and very friendly (and handsome, always thought that the New West cops very the best dressed and looking in entire Greater Vancouver – seriously had a crush on them, LOL) police officers, who wore very nice badges special badges for that occasion.