A dozen bikers gathered in Charlottetown Sunday morning for the second annual PEI Queer Ride & Meet Up motorcycle ride. Motorcyclists are riding from the capital city along the north shore to Kensington.
Erin Gillespie and Jocelyn Adams co-organized the event. They’ve both been riding for about 15 years.
“It’s not particularly a really safe feeling space for women, and definitely not for LGBTQ people,” said Gillespie. “So it only made sense to help to create a space where everyone was welcome.”
They say the event is twice as big as last year.
“It helps by getting allied riders out with us, to ride with us,” said Adams. “It gets us to meet other queer riders, and just kind of build a community around just being bikers.”
They say it’s important to show that these riders are here to stay.
“Historically, the motorcycle community has not always been the most welcoming to queer folks and women,” said Adams. “It’s important to have an event like this so people can know that we’re out there, that queer riders do exist.”
They say it’s an event they’d put on even without PEI Pride, but it’s a great combination.
Acceptance for Pride is growing on the island. A number of municipalities are flying Pride flags for the first time this year.
Charlottetown has gone a step further with street banners and large signs around the city.
There are Pride events across the island this week, culminating in P.E.I.’s Pride parade next weekend.
Organizers will not be allowing political groups, political floats, branding, or materials, as a protest.
Organizers say that will be the case until political parties make themselves more inclusive and better reflective of the island’s population.
Any politician who wants to march must do so as an individual.
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