The University of the Fraser Valley's (UFV) Pride Collective put on a Queer Prom on April 27 at UFV’s Abbotsford campus to celebrate pride in the Fraser Valley, aiming to fill a significant cultural void for the Abbotsford community.

The Queer prom was put on after the announcements that Abbotsford will not be hosting a Pride celebration for the second year in a row since the lockdown. Fraser Valley Pride’s annual celebration moved to Mission’s Heritage Park in 2022, after several years in Abbotsford, and was accompanied by controversy when the City of Mission made the decision to not fly the pride flag over municipal buildings in March 2023.

Ray Kelly and Bethany Zimmer, the vice president and secretary of UFV Pride Collective, respectively, say hosting Queer prom was about creating a space that breathes inclusiveness, appreciation and welcoming to all who came.

“We really want to be celebrating pride on campus, and I think this is a great way to do that,” Kelly says.

Members of the queer community sometimes unable to experience prom, a memorable moment to celebrate the end of high school years, with the freedom to express themselves and experience their proms the same way that cisgender people have. That is one freedom queer-folk has not been welcomed in Abbotsford and across parts of the Fraser Valley, according to UFV Pride.

“We want to be able to provide that opportunity at university because universities are where you can find yourself and explore that part of your identity,” Kelly says. “We thought queer Prom would be a good way to do that.”

“It's good to show that we are celebrating pride on campus and it is something to be celebrated,” Bethany Zimmer adds.

Listen to the full interview with Ray Kelly and Bethany Zimmer here: