Joint Statement from Chinatown Together and Queer Lunar New Year
Lack of formally signed invitation, apology, or transparency from Chinatown parade organizing committee
Dear community,
Happy Lunar New Year! We want to thank you for your incredible support over the last few days as we were put through a public rollercoaster ride for simply wanting to participate in the Chinatown Spring Festival Parade and practice our collective culture in Chinatown with you. It warms our hearts that so many of you have signed up to be part of the banner showcase! Thank you!
In case you missed it, in the past few days, the following has happened:
We wrote an op-ed on Georgia Straight on how rejecting grassroots organizations from the parade is a betrayal of Chinatown’s legacy;
We appeared on multiple news outlets including CBC, CTV, and even BCIT’s student newspaper (which broke the story!)
The Mayor’s Chief of Staff, Trevor Ford, claimed ABC Councillor’s Sarah Kirby Yung’s husband, Terry Yung of the VPD, was not part of the parade organizing committee or Chair of SUCCESS even though his signature and name oddly appeared as so on a recent 2024 parade organizing committee letter;
The parade organizing committee insinuated to the media that we and our friends at the Queer Lunar New Year group were not safe nor inclusive;
The head of the the Chinatown BIA (Business Improvement Association), Jordan Eng, implied our groups of queer, trans, youth, and elders will “bring [Chinatown] down” to the Canadian Press;
A subsequent weird press interaction between CBC’s Meera Bains, Jordan Eng and Queenie Cho, CEO of SUCCESS, an organization that is part of the parade celebration organizing committee that co-signs all the committees’ letters and public statements but for some reason denies involvement;
Another press statement from the organizing committee insinuating that Chinatown Together “did not meet [their] expectations because of the potential for disruption and protests” (aka “safety risk”)
Despite recent press reports that the parade organizing committee apparently again reversed their decision on our participation in the parade after repeatedly slandering us in public, we have actually not received a formally signed invitation from the parade organizing committee to participate in the parade.
Please read the following joint statement from Chinatown Together and Queer Lunar New Year on what we’re seeking, including:
a formally signed invitation from the organizing committee given their committee’s history of frequently altering decisions regarding our participation in the parade,
a public apology for the public humiliation, character assassination, defamation, and harmful stigmatization they have caused us and our communities (you!), and
transparency on qualifications to participate in the parade for all groups in the future.
Enclosures:
If you signed up to register to be part of our banner showcase, we will reach out to you shortly on next steps. Thank you for your support!