In communities across the country, people are gathering to mark Pride. To celebrate, to march, and - in the face of an increase in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ sentiment - to fight for the right to safety, acceptance and belonging.

Last week, 36-year-old Esmail experienced their first Pride parade ever. Having fled Yemen - where homosexuality is punishable by death - they recently arrived in Winnipeg and are finally experiencing moments of being accepted for who they truly are.

In a narrow vote, citizens of Westlock, Alberta recently banned rainbow crosswalks and Pride flags from all municipal properties. Shaylin Lussier, the teenager who pushed for the crosswalk in the first place, tells us why she isn’t backing down - and what Pride looks like for her today.

On a plot of wild prairie in central Manitoba, Charlotte Nolin and Barbara Bruce are hard at work preparing for the Two-Spirit Sundance - the only one of its kind in North America. Because life has shown them that safe ceremonial spaces for Two-Spirit people are worth fighting for.

Samantha Jones was seven when she told her mom Catie that she was a girl born in the wrong body. Now 10, she hopes to start puberty blockers when it's time, but proposed policies in Alberta restricting access to gender-affirming medication might force Samantha’s voice to deepen and facial hair to grow. Find out how Catie is fighting back.

Toronto’s Dre Govender, aka N9ne Godmother Dior, gave all of herself to her beloved kiki ballroom community - until she burnt out serving it. Now, as she prepares to come back to the community she loves after a two year absence, she gives Ify a lesson in serving face.

For years, Lish Francoeur tried attending Pride events but found a lot of them were expensive, not accommodating of different mobility and sensory needs, and were far from sober-friendly. Tired of not finding the kind of queer community they needed, Lish decided to create it for themselves - and Queer Sober Social was born.