Details and tickets come from the organiser (calgary.gaycities.com). Check with them before you go. Facebook page ↗
Artur Pawlowski and his infamous Street Church are planning another anti-LGBTQ2+ rally at city hall on August 6th. Calgary Anti-Fascist Action asks that Calgarians stand with us to oppose hate speech against members of our community. These are your streets, and we need to demonstrate in solidarity with a targeted group to show that we will not tolerate the hate and bigotry that leads to real-world consequences for LGBTQ2+ folx. Pawlowski has gone as far as to blame the 2013 flooding on LGBTQ2+ people, he opposes reproductive choice, and believes that divorce ought to be illegal. He calls for a literal theocracy under which LGBTQ2+ people would be incarcerated and/or killed. Evidence for all claims can be found on the street church website. In July, he invited Bill Whatcott to speak in Calgary, who shares his views. We counter demonstrated this event then, and Calgary Anti-Fascist Action and members of the public were attacked by Street Church members for voicing our opposition to hatred and bigotry. They claimed that we attacked them, and tried to block their right to religious freedom. Video evidence proves otherwise. Calgary Anti-Fascist Action supports the right to religious freedom, and we do not call for a counter demonstration to attack Christianity. If this was a simple celebration of faith, we would absolutely support people's freedom to do so. However, this event is not a prayer circle, it is a homophobic and transphobic demonstration meant to abuse and intimidate anyone who opposes their hateful rhetoric.