Archana Cini
Lookout Newspaper
Every June, Pride Month invites Canadians to reflect, celebrate, and stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQI+ community. This year, CFB Esquimalt continues to support both local and Defence 2SLGBTQI+ communities through an assortment of learning events, visibility efforts, and community engagements.
2025’s Pride Month calendar is packed with opportunities for the Defence Team to participate in, including the June 25 “Pride and Pints” social hosted by the Public Service Pride Network (PSPN), and June 27 Formation 5K Rainbow Run, organized by Esquimalt’s Personnel Support Program (PSP). For those looking to create further impact and build inclusivity all year long, Positive Space Ambassador Training is also available throughout the month. Members are also invited to join the vibrant celebrations of Victoria Pride Week ( July 1–6), with the city’s annual Pride Parade scheduled for Sunday, July 6.
To Commander (Cdr) Adriano Lozer, Champion of the Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) Defence Team Pride Advisory Organization (DTPAO), “Pride month presents an important opportunity to honour colleagues, engage with new individuals, and demonstrate support.” MARPAC DTPAO members brought this message to life, volunteering in uniform at the Sidney Pride Festival on June 14. Defence Team members can also expect to see both the intersex progress pride flag and Indigenous Survivor’s flag, recognizing Indigenous History Month, at CFB Esquimalt across Workpoint, Dockyard, and Naden.
Though Pride season is a time to celebrate the strength and joy of Canada’s 2SLGBTQI+ communities, it is also a time to learn from the past and act for an equitable future. June 12 saw Defence Team members gathered in CFB Esquimalt’s Chief and Petty Officers’ Mess for the Pride-Purge Coterie, a poignant symposium. The event, sponsored by the Rainbow Veterans of Canada and the LGBT Purge Fund, included a screening of The Fruit Machine, a documentary on the surveillance and interrogation of 2SLGBTQI+ individuals during Canada’s military purge. Attendees also had the opportunity to engage with an esteemed panel of Purge survivors on both the film and 2SLGBTQI+ advocacy within the Canadian public service.
The coterie was hosted by the MARPAC Formation Gender Advisor (GENAD) and DTPAO, who expressed immense honour in coordinating the symposium. Sailor Second Class (S2) Chelsey Stickney, DTPAO Military Co-Chair, highlighted the value of hearing from a panel of Purge survivors.
“We were able to give voice to stories that, too often, are forgotten or silenced,” said S2 Stickney. “I hope our attendees left with gratitude for those who came before and courageously paved the way toward a more inclusive future for all of us.”
As Pride season begins and reflections are made on both progress and work to be done, CFB Esquimalt remains focused on fostering an inclusive and resilient Defence Team. For more information regarding the DTPAO or to join the DTPAO, contact MARPAC DTPAO at MARPAC.DTPN@forces.gc.ca.
