Why Pride Matters to Me

As we enter into Vancouver Pride Week I started to reflect on why pride matters to me. Pride matters to me because it represents something that is pretty simple: we should all have the freedom to live honestly without being treated like you are less worthy because of who you are. As a gay man, a healthcare professional and the owner of an LGBTQ+ business, I look at Pride events more closely. Its a reflection on how far our community has come, but it also reminds me that acceptance should never be taken for granted.

I know that some people look at Pride as a parade, party or a collection of rainbow logos that appear for a few weeks each year. Celebration is definitely part of it, and i think it should be! LGBTQ+ people have spent so much time being told to hide, shrink themselves or make other people feel more comfortable. There is value in being visible and showing your joy. There is value in younger people seeing adults living full, successful and ordinary lives while being able to be open about who they are.

But here's the thing - Pride has never been only about celebration.

We are living through a moment in time where openly homophobic and transphobic language and attacks seem to be becoming socially accepted again, especially online. Honestly, this is hurtful to see and read and experience. People say things publicly today that they may have not been even a few years ago. Social media seems to reward outrage, strips away context and allows misinformation to spread faster than thoughtful conversations. If you want to go see for yourself, check any Facebook post about a Pride celebration or a sports team changing their logo to a rainbow version. Wen cruel comments receive thousands of likes and support, it can create the impression that this behaviour is normal or harmless.

It's not harmless.

Major social media platforms have weakened some of their protections against anti-LGBTQ+ content, while other organizations that track online safety continue to report serious problems with hate and misinformation. In parts of Europe, Pride events have faced bans, restrictions and inadequate police protection. In the US, rights and public participation of transgender people remain the subject of an aggressive political fight. These events may be happening outside of Vancouver, but ideas cross boarders quickly. We see their influences in Canadian conversations, comment sections and public debates.

Canada has made great progress and I'm fortunate to live here. That does not mean the work is finished. Stats Canada recorded 658 police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation in 2024. Thats more than double that were reported in 2020. These are also only police-reported incidents and do not capture every slur, threat, workplace experience, family rejection or moment when someone decided it was safer to remain silent. Its becoming more common I'm hearing these stories in the community in day-to-day practice.

I'm not trying to make a political stance here. You don't need to agree with every slogan, organization or policy proposal connected to the LGBTQ+ community. I certainly don't agree with every opinion expressed under the Pride umbrella. No community thinks with one mind and disagreements are part of what make things advance.

But there should be a basic standard underneath those disagreements. People should be able to work, receive healthcare, raise families and move through life without being humiliated or threatened or judged because of their identity. Its not a radical position but rather a basic decency.

My perspective on Pride also comes from my work in healthcare. People are often vulnerable when they walk into a clinic. They may be in pain, frustrated with their body or tired of explaining themselves to professionals who are not listening. LGBTQ+ patients can carry an additional layer of concern. Will assumptions be made about their relationships or their body? Will personal or intimate information be treated with maturity? Will they receive the same attention and care as anyone else?

These seem to sound like small details to someone who has never had to think about them. But they are not small when you are the person sitting in the treatment room or in that meeting.

When I started Coastal Life Wellness, I wanted to build the kind of healthcare space I believed was missing. I wanted it to feel calm, personal and connected. I wanted patients to feel listened to rather than rushed through an appointment. Being LGBTQ+ owned and operated is part of who we are, but out commitment to respectful care extends to every single person who enters the clinic. No one should have to earn dignity before recieving care.

For me, inclusion is not about putting a rainbow in the window or as a logo once a year. It shows up in how we speak to people, how we respond to when someone tells us what they need and how willing we are to correct ourselves when we get something wrong. It means keeping space and respect for people's choices. It means avoiding assumptions. It means recognizing that a patient is a full person, not only the shoulder pain, headache or back problem that brought them through the door.

Pride also matters because visibility carries responsibility. I own a business, treat patients and serve in leadership roles within my profession. I recognize that being open about who I am may make it easier for someone else to imagine a place for themselves. It may also make a patient feel a bit safer for booking an appointment or a young professional feel less pressure to hide part of their life. I do not take things like this lightly.

At the same time, I do not want LGBTQ+ people to be defined only by struggle. The reality is is that I personally have only experienced very little struggle in comparison to many. Our community is filled with humour, talent, families, friendships, businesses and people doing regular things with their lives. Pride creates space to recognize the difficult history while also celebrating the lives people have build because other were willing to speak up.

That is why Pride still matters to me. It is gratitude for the people who pushed society forward before I had the chance to benefit from that progress. It is a commitment to protect what they achieved. It is also a reminder to treat the person in front of me with care, even when their life or perspectives differs from mine.

We do not need to agree on everything to defend one another's humanity. We do need to pay attention when contempt starts being treated as normal. Progress can continue, but it can also be reversed when good people decide that speaking up is no longer necessary.

Pride reminds me to not be complacent. It reminds me why visibility matters, why respectful healthcare matters and why creating space for people to be themselves is still worth defending.

And yes, it is also a celebration! Let's party! We've earned that too.

Dr. Alfredo Petrone, Chiropractor

Dr. Alfredo is a health enthusiast who’s goal is to help people and families live healthier, happier lives. My philosophy on health is simple - our body’s have the amazing ability and potential to self-adapt, self-regulate and THRIVE in this world.

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