2SLGBTQ+ group excluded from Vancouver Lunar New Year parade

UPDATE Feb. 9, 2024 at 5:30 p.m.: An organizing committee spokesperson said in a late Friday interview that the decision has been reversed and both groups have been invited to participate on Sunday. Read updated coverage here.

Two community groups, including one representing2SLGBTQ+ people of Asian descent,say they've beenexcluded from Vancouver's Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown thisweekend.

Chinatown Together and 2SLGBTQ+ group Lunar New Year For All say their applications tomarch in the Spring Festival Parade on Sunday were rejected by thecommittee that runs the event.

However in a late Friday interview, an organizing committee spokesperson said the decision has been reversed and the two groups have been invited to participate once again.

The parade marks the Year of the Dragon, which starts onSaturday.

Community activist Melody Ma, organizer of Chinatown Together, posted a letter on social media that she says came from theparade's organizers, telling her that approval of the group'sparticipation had been rescinded because "political activism finds no place within the spirit of the event."

The letter dated Feb. 3 says the parade is "dedicated to a senseof unity'' and is intentionally distanced from religious orpolitical affiliations.

But Pearl Wong, co-organizer of Lunar New Year For All, says the groupdoesn't consider itself political, and no reason for its exclusion was given in the letter it received.

"Our thought process was, hey, it would be really cool if wecould form a group that is dedicated for queer and trans folks ofAsian descent,'' Wong said. "We don't really understand why it has to be this hard, becauseI don't think it's very hard to be inclusive and welcoming.''

Wong, who is from New York, said Manhattan's Chinatown parade hadincorporated 2SLGBTQ+ members since 2010.

'Community, collaboration and tolerance'

The Chinatown Spring Festival's organizing committee issued aresponse late Thursday, saying it is "committed to upholding thetradition of promoting community, collaboration and tolerance acrosscultures."

"We are also committed to ensuring that the parade is a safe andinclusive event for all participants and spectators,"it said in astatement.

"The committee will make the decision to accept or reject paradeteam applications based on these criteria."

In an updated statement sent to CBC News on Friday, the Chinatown Spring Festival saidthey welcomed members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community to march in the parade.

"This year, a group did not meet our expectations because of the potential for disruption and protests at the parade that were not related to the 2SLGBTQ+ community," reads the statement. "The organizing committee is hopeful we can work through these issues with the group next year, so they can participate in the parade."

The statement did not add any specifics around the disruption or protests.

But in an interview later on Friday, spokespersonFrank Huang saidletters have been sent to the groups Chinatown Together and Lunar New Year For All, approving their participation in Sunday's parade.

Huang didn't give any reasons for the reversal in a brief interview in Mandarin late Friday.

Vancouver police said in a statement that additionalofficers will be deployed to Sunday's parade but thatthereare "no specific public safety risk(s)," and the move is aimed at managing the large crowd.

Ma is a vocal critic of gentrification in Chinatown, opposingprojects such as a residential tower at 105 Keefer St., which wasapproved by Vancouver's permit board last June after years ofdispute.

But she said none of the group's banners on Sunday would havementioned gentrification or 105 Keefer St., in accordance withparade rules.

"We decided to participate in the Lunar New Year parade despitethe fact the organizers were pro-Chinatown gentrification, becausewe wanted to put that all aside,"Ma said. "For this, the largestcelebration of Chinatown, we're going to put all these politicaldifferences aside and participate in this together."

"Unfortunately, what's ironic is that byrejecting and citing political activism,whatever that means tothem in this case,they are inherently politicizing the event andthe decision," she added.

WATCH | The evolution of Vancouver's Lunar New Year parade:

From the Archives: How Vancouver celebrated the Lunar New Year in 1958

8 months ago

Duration 4:48

The Lunar New Year parade in Vancouver has changed a lot since 1958. For a look at how it's evolved over time, and how it's impacted the community, CBCs Yasmine Ghania spoke with Melissa Lee, CEO of the Chinese Canadian Museum.

The parade is organized by a consortium of six organizations the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, the ChineseCultural Centre of Greater Vancouver, the Vancouver ChinatownMerchants Association, the Chinese Freemasons Vancouver Branch, theShon Yee Benevolent Association of Canada and social service agencySUCCESS.

SUCCESS said in a written response that it isn't the leadorganizer of the parade and isn't involved with operationaldecisions.

The letter posted by Ma on social media says the festival'sorganizing committee had "steadfastly adhered'' to its principlesfor decades, "ensuring the event remains a beacon of culturalheritage and community cohesion.''

"While your passion for advocacy has been recognized, it isessential to underscore that political activism finds no placewithin the spirit of the event,'' it says.

Jordan Eng, president of the Vancouver Chinatown BusinessImprovement Association, said the case highlights the complexity ofChinatowns and their social and economic fault lines.

"Chinatown is like a city in itself,'' with strong opposingviews on issues such as gentrification, Eng said.

"On 105 Keefer, even within those legacy organizations, that wasa really hard decision,'' Eng said, noting many groups changedpositions over time to support the project.

"Our views don't necessarily align with the legacyorganizations, and the last go-around for 105 [Keefer], most ofthose organizations did not support it as well.''

Eng's groups supported the project.

He said this year's parade would play a crucial rolein the revitalization of the neighbourhood after the pandemic.

"This is really a time for us to showcase Chinatown in a verypositive light, in a unified light,'' he said. "We need good newsstories. We don't need people trying to bring us down.''