By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Weeks after the Halton Equity and Diversity Roundtable’s (HEDR) fourth annual Pride gala, Executive Director Daven Seebarran is reflecting on what made the June 19 event successful: giving attendees the freedom to experience Pride in their own way.
That vision came to life at the Art Gallery of Burlington (AGB), where the “Pride in Equity” gala transformed the venue into a series of interactive spaces filled with entertainment, community organizations, and drag performances.
The event featured dinner and a drag show, with performances by drag artists including Miss Fiercalicious and The Girlfriend Experience, both known from Canada’s Drag Race; Elektra Vandergeld and Eva Blunt of Drag Race México, and local performers Kenadie St. James and Macy Manolo.
The main event was hosted by choreographer and dancer Hollywood Jade, who co-won the most recent season of The Traitors Canada, and has served as a judge and choreographer on Canada’s Drag Race. Attendees could purchase general admission tickets and pay what they could, while dinner tickets cost $79.
The event description on HEDR’s website emphasized the interactivity of the gala.
“This is not a seated gala,” it read. “It is a living, breathing celebration designed to be explored.”
The gallery was divided into themed spaces, each containing entertainment or activities. Comedy and games, live music, a glam station, and a retro dance party were just some of the things on offer at the gala.
One space, titled “Kings and Things,” showcased drag kings and drag things. Curated by Sandy Joint King, it featured performances by Ace Monstera, King Freddie, and Sequin the Cowboy.
Seebarran spoke about how the event has changed compared to last year.
“I think the thing that was significantly different this year was the amount of activation that we had on site last year,” Seebarran said. “The event had a dinner and a couple of performances that were sequential. And people who didn’t have that full experience with the dinner didn’t really have as great a time as the folks that did. And that really stood out to us. So this year we wanted every experience to be great.”
“We had seven different things concurrently happening, which let people choose an adventure for the night,” he continued. The format allowed guests to move freely between activities instead of following a fixed program.
Seebarran said that HEDR engaged a number of people from Burlington and Hamilton who are experienced at curating “robust” events to tweak the gala. HEDR also tried to use as many local assets as possible, including vendors and staffing, and several local organizations also had booths set up at the event, including Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Services of Halton (SAVIS) and Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH).
Yei Luc, education and risk reduction worker at GMSH, spoke about their work with the Positive Health Network, a partner of GMSH.
“We provide safer sex education and a sexual health clinic for the general public, geared towards persons who identify as men who have sex with men as well,” Luc said. “We also offer harm reduction services for persons who are currently using a drug of their choice.”
Seebarran spoke about what the title “Pride in Equity” means.
“We take pride in the work that we do,” he said. “We take pride in challenging institutions and working with great people to look at the systemic changes that we’re making in home regions.”
He said the word “equity” was equally intentional.
“It means that we’re making sure that we’re using an equitable approach to the work that we do, and we’re meeting where they’re at. We’re making sure that we’re engaging in as many different perspectives as possible.”
According to Seebarran, feedback about the event was “incredible.”
“It exceeded any expectations that I had,” he said.
Seebarran estimated that about 300 people attended the gala, adding that the overwhelmingly positive response reinforced HEDR’s decision to move away from a traditional dinner format toward an interactive celebration where every guest could shape their own experience.
