Pride London's first queer prom to be held Friday: 'A night for themselves' (2024)

Pride London is hosting its first official queer prom, an event designed specifically for LGBTQ youth and allies to celebrate who they are in an inclusive environment, one of the event organizers says.

The idea for the event came about after Michelle Paradis — a mother of four and champion for LGBTQ youth in London — heard stories from LGBTQ youth, including her children, about not feeling comfortable attending school events such as prom.

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“I wanted to support them and give them a safe space,” Paradis said. “They deserve celebration, they deserve love, they deserve a night for themselves.”

Paradis is vice-president of Pride London Festival and heads a division of the organization that offers programs and events to support LGBTQ youth in London.

The event is meant to be a safe space for London’s LGBTQ youth to be themselves, something lacking in the London community, Paradis said.

“There are a lot of youth that aren’t out because of their parents or their friends,” Paradis said. “Or they’re just not ready to be out yet.”

In her role at Pride London, Paradis said she hears stories about hate-related incidents from many of the youth to whom she talks, specifically mentioning the use of hom*ophobic and racial slurs. “These are hate crimes,” she said.

Last September, 80 London police officers were deployed to the Thames Valley District school board office in east London as more than 1,000 protesters and counter-protesters faced off over transgender issues in classrooms.

Hate crimes jumped by nearly 40 per cent in London last year, with clashes over gender and sexuality cited as a contributing factor, new London police statistics show.

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London police recorded 111 hate crimes last year, up from 80 the year before and 30 five years ago, a report on hate- and bias-related occurrences in London says.

The report identified the LGBTQ community as the biggest target, with members reporting 50 occurrences, a 67 per cent increase over the previous year, including 12 incidents reported in June, when Pride events are held.

The report also notes 19 occurrences directly related to gender diversity or inclusion, with six of those involving transgender or non-binary victims. The report does not specify the age of the victims.

Amid this spike in hate-related occurrences, Paradis hopes the queer prom will offer a space for queer youth to feel safe.

The response from Londoners in support of queer prom has been “overwhelming,” Paradis said.

“Every time I talk about (the support), it makes me wanna go into tears. I have had donations for queer prom from everywhere.”

The list of local businesses and organizations offering their support is long, Paradis said, offering volunteers, items for swag bags and a large discount from the Aeolian Hall for using the venue, Paradis said. Londoners also stopped by The Well London last week to drop off prom attire donations for anyone attending the event who is not able to afford to dress up.

“Everywhere wants to be a part of queer prom,” Paradis said.

“I think it’s gonna be a wonderful time.”

The event is set for this Friday, May 24 at the Aeolian Hall.

nbrennan@postmedia.com

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