About Grand River Pride

Vision

Grand River Pride strives to help 2SLGBTQIA+ people to find a sense of belonging. We envision a community where all people are welcome, recognized, safe, valued, and celebrated, regardless of how they identify or who they love.

History

What began with a Queer Night Out, has expanded to a community movement. Grand River Pride started with the hopes of hosting more 2SLGBTQIA+ events in our community. We saw a need for people to gather together and share both in Cambridge, and in the townships that surround us. Within months of our creation we created the first ever Cambridge Pride Week, and Cambridge Pride Street Party. A year later, we expanded to host Ayr's first ever Pride event. 

Mission

We are redefining the meaning of community by working with Pride Organizations and Support Groups around the Grand River to create safe, inclusive spaces in which 2SLGBTQIA+ people and their Allies can gather, work, share, and create. We are actively creating a grant program to reduce the financial barriers these organizations face, and increase the frequency of events in all of our connected communities.

Values

Inclusivity Always

We welcome everyone and create opportunities for people who have been marginalized to find community by listening to others' stories and helping them amplify their voice.

Confidence in Change

We find strength in our partnerships to do what’s right by engaging in work that will inspire our communities, and leave them better than we found them.

Collaboration in Everything

We empower our partners to do valuable work by aligning all of our goals and leveraging their skills alongside our own.

Access for Everyone

We diversify what we do to reflect the unique needs of our community by creating barrier-free opportunities for connection and participation

Visibility Everywhere

We see ourselves and others in all spaces of our community by working with partners that recognize their own impact on queer people and actively reimagine what it means to provide safe spaces.