It was a reveal like no other here in Moose Jaw Friday morning.

Moose Jaw Pride's parade is coming up in a few weeks, and they just announced a few big names that will be joining in. Starting at 2 o'clock on Saturday June 1st the parade begins and everyone is welcome.
It will head down Main St N., onto Caribou, and end up in Crescent Park for live entertainment.

Joe Wickenhauser, Executive Director for Moose Jaw Pride, said this is the biggest pride festival Moose Jaw has had, and hopes that people come out to enjoy and support.

"It's really exciting to see how much support we have here and with our store and with the festival. Each year it grows, and we get people from different place around the world. People fly in from Toronto and Montreal. Of course more local, Regina and Saskatoon. Sometimes people come from Calgary and Winnipeg, people are coming to support and celebrate. And people coming back to their home towns and saying that it's really important for me that this happens here. And that other people know that there are LGBT people in this community. It's really incredible to see that. And we want to open that invitation of course. We have a discounted rate at the Grant Hall for anyone coming in from out of town, and it's going to be a blast."

Rosie and the Riveters will be performing here at Moose Jaw's amphatheatre, immediately following the parade. Coco Montrese, American drag performer, and best known for being on Ru Paul's Drag Race. She will be the head line performer for the after party.

Pride in Moose Jaw, and around the world, are celebrating 50 years since the decriminalization of homosexuality in Canada.

This is the 7th festival that Moose Jaw Pride has held, beginning in 2013, though Moose Jaw's first pride festival happened in 1993.

"We've seen a lot of incredible changes in the last 50 years" said Wickenhauser, "and I think that there's a lot more work to be done. Especially around gender and sexual diversity in smaller communities and rural areas. We're really lucky to have this festival and to have this space, but a lot of other communities in Saskatchewan aren't that lucky. People have to go to large urban centres to access support. So I think when we see more programs and services that specifically cater to those people living in those smaller communities that's when we'll start to see Saskatchewan as a province start to move forward and join the rest of Canada in terms of the rights and freedoms that all other Canadians enjoy."

There are still a number of groups that are still working towards their equality, including new comers to Canada, added Wickenhauser, and  LGBT people are among them. "And people in our nursing homes. So some of those very same people that helped to fight for human rights back in 1969, and in Moose Jaw in 1978 when we had some of our first protests, those folks are entering nursing homes now. And our nursing homes are not set up to recognize the gender and sexual diversity that exists among our elder population. So I think we we need to act fast, to educate our health care systems around who is LGBT and how to treat everyone with respect."

To get involved in the celebrations, or for more information, you can go to their website, facebook, email volunteer@moosejawpride.ca, or head to Rainbow Retro on Main street.