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The military is not marching in pride this year

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A newspaper-style infographic with rainbow crumpled paper background. Good news! Winnipeg, Treaty 1, June 6, 2026 The military is not marching in Pride year Queer liberation is an anti-imperialist struggle
The same graphic, headings, and background theme continue. Pride Winnipeg banned military personnel from marching in uniform. The military, public server pride alliance, and the canadian museum of human rights all chose not to march. What Pride Winnipeg got right: based their decision on community feedback organizations are using Pride as a photo op without meaningful supporting community folks can attend as queer people but not as representatives of the military many queer people are not comfortable with a uniformed military presence
What Pride Winnipeg got wrong: In a statement to the CBC, Pride says "Military uniforms are distressing to some people, especially newcomers from countries where police and military are corrupt" This misses the point! Queer liberation has always been tied to anti-war and anti-imperialist organizing. To distance ourselves from that legacy is to whitewash and misrepresent our history. A photo of a large demonstration with banners, the banner in the foreground reads "Gays Unite Against the War; Out Now! Gay Contingent"
What Pride Wpg got wrong (cont.): The Canadian Armed Forces is corrupt. Their presence at Pride is distressing to all people opposed to genocide and canadian imperialism. Some newcomers have survived violence waged by the CAF. The CAF is not being wrongfully excluded because of the actions of other armies. The CAF continues to be a violent and unsafe institution for people within its ranks and will always be a threat to queer people on the receiving end of military action. A screenshot of a CBC news story by Santiago Arias Orozco from June 4, 2026, headline: Sergeant tied herself to chair at Winnipeg's air force base after bid to change gender in records denied Subhead: Athena Morris testifies military police 'chose to become violent' in restricted area she refused to leave
Let's get some facts straight (crossed out) gay: What the military is saying: They've been outright banned - false! (Military uniforms have been banned.) This is discrimination - false! ('In the military' is not a protected class) This is like being put in the closet - false! (And offensive. Don't equate choosing to join a violent imperialist institution with being queer.) Marching in the parade keeps the military accountable to the queer community - how? (No, really, how? Wishful thinking doesn't count.) Marching is a sign of progress since The Purge - progress towards what? Rainbow bombs? They should be allowed to be proud of being queer military personnel - no pride in genocide!
Let's get some facts straight (crossed out) gay: But what about rainbow veterans and purge survivors? The function of every single person in the military is the same regardless of their gender or sexuality. Being an openly queer person who gets paid to kill people in other countries is nothing to be proud of. What happened to inclusion? Inclusion does not mean inviting your oppressor to your celebrations. Isn't marching a sign of progress? The violence of The CAF destroys communities. Queer people being "allowed" to participate in state-sanctioned murder is a false progress. To serve the canadian state is to serve capitalism, imperialism, and settler-colonialism at the expense of people here and elsewhere. No institution is perfect! This unfairly excludes one group! The ask was never to ban the military and stop there! Let's keep up the pressure to get all these immoral corporations out of our spaces!
What's next? Don't let this decision be reversed next year! Tell Pride you support the ban TELL PRIDE YOU SUPPORT THE BAN Instagram icon: @PRIDEWINNIPEG Phone icon: (866) 611-5546 Email icon: info@pridewinnipeg.com Fill out the survey: h1.nu/pride Link is also in the @pridewinnipeg bio. Thank you for reading the good news!