Progressive, LGBTQ+ groups kicked out of Vancouver's Chinatown Lunar New Year parade – Winnipeg Free Press

VANCOUVER – Progressive and LGBTQ+ groups say they were excluded from this weekend's Vancouver Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown, one of their representatives said, because “political activism” was banned.

Chinatown Together, organized by activist Melody Ma and the LGBTQ+ group Lunar New Year for All, said their requests to participate in Sunday's spring festival parade were rejected by the event's committee.

The parade celebrates the Year of the Dragon, which begins Saturday.

Ma posted a letter on social media from the parade's organizers, telling him that approval for Chinatown Together's participation was revoked because “political activism has no place in the spirit of the event.”

The letter, dated February 3, said the parade was “for a sense of unity” and was deliberately distanced from religious or political views.

But Pearl Wong, organizer of Lunar New Year All, says they don't consider themselves political and the letter they received said there was no reason to exclude them.

“We thought it would be great if we could create a group for Asian queer and trans people,” Wong said.

“We don't see why it should be difficult, because I don't think it's very difficult to be inclusive and welcoming.”

Wong, who is from New York, said that since 2010, LGBTQ+ members have joined the Chinatown parade in Manhattan.

The organizing committee of the Chinatown Spring Festival responded Thursday evening, saying it is “committed to supporting the tradition of promoting community, cooperation and tolerance between cultures.”

“We are also committed to ensuring that the parade is a safe and inclusive event for all participants and spectators,” the statement said.

“The committee will decide whether to accept or reject parade team applications based on these criteria.”

Ma is a vocal critic of gentrification in Chinatown, which Vancouver's permitting board approved last June after years of controversy, opposing projects like the residential tower at 105 Kiefer St.

But he said none of the group's banners Sunday mentioned gentrification or 105 Kiefer St., according to the march's rules.

“Despite the organizers' support for China's gentrification, we decided to participate in the Lunar New Year parade because we wanted to put all that aside,” Ma said. “For this, Chinatown's biggest celebration, we put aside all political differences and participate together.”

“Unfortunately,” he added, “what's funny is that denying and referring to political activism — whatever that means to them in this case — they're politicizing the story and the decision.”

The parade is organized by a consortium of six organizations: the Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, the Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Vancouver, the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association, the Vancouver Branch of the Freemasons of China, Sean Ye Benevolent Association of Canada and SUCCESS Social Service Agency. .

SUCCESS said in a written response that it was not the lead organizer of the march and was not involved in the immediate decision-making process.

In a letter posted on social media by Ma, the festival's organizing committee has “firmly adhered to” its principles for decades, saying “the event remains a beacon of cultural heritage and community unity.”

“While your passion for advocacy is acknowledged, it should be noted that political activism has no place in the spirit of the event,” it said.

Jordan Eng, president of the Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association, said the situation highlights the complexity of Chinatowns and their social and economic disadvantages.

“Chinatown is like a city unto itself,” Eng said.

“At 105 Keefer, even with those earlier organizations, it was a very difficult decision,” Eng said, noting that many groups have changed positions over time to support the project.

“Our views don't necessarily align with previous organizations, and the last round for 105 (Kiefer), most of those organizations didn't support him either.”

Eng group supported the project.

He said this year's parade, which celebrates both the Year of the Dragon and the 50th anniversary of the event, will play a key role in revitalizing the neighborhood after the pandemic.

“It's really a time for us to present Chinatown in a very positive light, a holistic light,” he said. “We need good news. We don't need people trying to bring us down.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 9, 2024.