It’s beautiful to see’: Longtime advocate reflects on Pride’s impact in Saskatoon

Bruce Garman, a longtime LGBTQ+ advocate in Saskatoon, reflects on decades of change during Pride. (Hallee Mandryk/CTV News)

The first time that Bruce Garman watched the colourful celebration of Saskatoon’s Pride Parade fill the downtown streets, it was an emotional experience.

“I stood by the Bessborough and the parade went by and I just welled with pride looking at those young people thinking, ‘when I was their age, there was nothing, and I’m one of the people who helped create something for them.’ So that just makes me want to cry, it’s awesome,” Garman said.

These emotions were rooted in the memory of a time, not too long ago, when members of the LGBTQ+ community in Saskatoon had to hide.

“Back in those days, if you had an identity as being a homosexual, as being a lesbian, that was medical or criminal, and that was that... There were many people who were thrown out of their communities. Often people came to their true nature after they were married. Marriages ended. They were kept from seeing their children, it was a grim time,” Garman said.

But among the fear and uncertainty, there was one place on 3rd Avenue in downtown Saskatoon that offered a sense of safety and community.

“In the early 70s it was a restaurant on the main floor. It was a space upstairs that the Zodiac Friendship Society rented beginning of ’73 as our first club....We needed a social space, a public space that felt safe,” Garman said.

The Zodiac Friendship Society was a pioneering LGBTQ+ organization in Saskatoon. The organization formed in 1972 and moved into it’s first official headquarters in 1973, which was called The Gemini Club. As Garman explained, it was a time that didn’t offer a lot of resources for people who were questioning their sexuality or gender identity.

Finding the right words

Now 74 years old, Garman recalls visiting one of Saskatoon’s public libraries while he was in high school to find some kind of information to help him understand his identity.

“There were two books in the library. There was one called ‘Homosexuality: Disease, Way of Life’ and you knew which one the author chose. And then the other thing was a book called ‘The Homosexual Sexual Matrix’, and it was about the horrors of being homosexual,” Garman said with a laugh.

Garman expressed that experiences like this are an example of why it is important to create spaces and resources for people who are questioning their sexuality or gender identity.

“People need affirmation. We’re very aware of that now, the extent to which people have an identity, which...they don’t choose, they uncover it, they discover who they are. And so our identity is very important to us,” Garman said.

Garman added that during the early days of the Zodiac Friendship Society, the main focus was on individuals who identified as gay or lesbian. Garman said in the more than five decades since the inception of the organization, there’s been a lot of progress for those who identify as something else. While the terminology did not exist 50 years ago, the people certainly did.

“My identity, part of it is based on vocabulary that I’ve learned from someone else. Whether it’s books that I read, whether it’s other people I met, defining who we are...so we constantly need that dialogue to just keep growing,” Garman said.

That sentiment continues to be true for the next generation of LGBTQ+ community members, including Blake Tait, who is currently serving as co-chair for Saskatoon Pride.

“It wasn’t until I met other folks that I finally had words to recognize what it was....It was really a long discovery process. But I think it’s so truly powerful and beautiful to look within yourself, to be able to find who you truly are authentically,” Tait said.

Tait shared that the process of understanding his identity is an ongoing one, and he’s thankful for those who provided the space to learn more about the community that he is a part of.

“I came out the first time when I was 13 and the second time when I was 14. So I was a lesbian, a trans boy, and now [I’m a] something queer, trans man, who knows? But it was such a process. It was in a household that was not necessarily the safest, but it was worth it. And being able to find queer spaces to be me authentically and do that searching that I needed to do in a space that was safe,” Tait said.

Tait said connecting with others in the queer community, especially those who were around during the inception of Saskatoon’s first queer organizations, has been a gift.

“Our community really is a family. I go to potlucks hosted by queer seniors on a regular basis, and it’s my favorite thing. I love to hear all these stories about being queer in the ’80s in Saskatoon. It’s so genuinely so interesting. And it’s a reminder of why we are still doing this,” Tait said.

Still fighting

While leaps and bounds have been made since the days of the Zodiac Friendship Society, Tait emphasized that there are still many challenges impacting Saskatchewan’s LGBTQ+ community.

“We are still fighting for rights, especially trans folks in this province... you’ve got queer youth actively being attacked by the provincial government. And so it’s important that we are still marching to show that people are still here, we are still queer. We are still loud and proud. And I think especially right now, our youth, we have to know that there is a community,” Tait said.

Bill 137 was introduced by the provincial government in 2023, requiring schools to inform parents and receive consent before allowing a child to go by a different name or pronoun at school.

In a statement to CTV News, the Government of Saskatchewan reaffirmed its commitment with the Parents’ Bill of Rights meant to “protect the rights of parents and guardians to be involved [in] decisions affecting their childrens’ education.”

“This Act provides clarity to school divisions on policy and ensures that parents’ rights with respect to important decisions and information involving their children are protected,” the statement read.

“Requiring parental consent for students under 16 years of age and ensuring schools provide the resources necessary to safely receive that consent will help ensure the student is supported both in the school and at their home.”

Saskatoon’s biggest event during pride month is the Pride Parade, with thousands of people in attendance flooding the streets of downtown with rainbows and community. These parades are hosted around the globe and while they serve as a celebration, the origins of pride parades are rooted in protest.

“It absolutely started as a protest, it was originally gay and lesbian liberation marches. And I think that to an extent...it is still rooted in protest, especially for trans folks,” Tait said.

Tait added that the Pride Parade serves as an annual reminder that LGBTQ+ people have always been present, and there should be no need to hide that fact.

“It’s important to recognize that it is not just a party. We are building a space on purpose to be disruptive for two hours once a year. And to make it clear that we are your community, we live around you, and we live with you. You will see us in your day-to-day and we are just like everyone else,” Tait said.

As someone who has seen the progression of Saskatchewan’s LGBTQ+ community, Garman said some advice for those who are feeling lost or without support. He expressed that everyone can find their people, and those people will offer a sense of support and community.

“There will be a small group of people you know, that’s your village. You can choose your village. Sometimes you have to create it. So one thing I believe in is what I call enlightened self-interest. I’m creating a village because I need one, but I also know it’s going to benefit everybody else in it,” Garman said.

Blake emphasized that the ‘village’ of the Saskatoon Pride Parade is one that can instill some much-needed confidence for those who need it.

“A lot of the time, it is rough to be trans in Saskatchewan. But there’s such a huge community of queer folks and allies that are here for us. And it’s beautiful to see how much,” Tait said.