Alex Sangha, in a historic moment, became the first-ever Sikh to lead the Vancouver gay pride parade.
It was a moment of pride when Alex Sangha became the first-ever Sikh to lead the Vancouver gay pride parade.
New Delhi, August 1, 2016: Resident of Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, Alex runs a non-profit organisation called Sher Vancouver that works on LGBT issues. He was driven along the parade route in a special pride car painted in the colours of the rainbow.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan was also present for the parade. Trudeau had also marched in Toronto's Pride Parade last month.
Being the role model grand marshal was symbolic for Alex because homosexuality still remains a "taboo within the Sikh community", reports the Hindustan Times. He acknowledged the importance of having a role model and called Canadian Defence Minister one.
However, the Black Lives Matter movement boycotted the parade because of the participation of Vancouver's police force. Joining them were other groups called Salaam, consisting of Muslims, and another South Asian group called Trikone.
Alex admitted that there is racism in the queer community but he identified the need of working in solidarity. "The queer haters of the world do not care if your a queer white person or a queer person of colour. They hate us both and are actively working to deprive and strip us of our rights", said Alex in his statement as grand marshal.