Statement from Minister McLean and Minister McPhee on Pride Season in the Yukon

Minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate Jeanie McLean and Minister of Health and Social Services Tracy-Anne McPhee have issued the following statement:

“As Pride Season begins this week in the Yukon and across Canada, our government proudly joins in celebrating our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Pride Season, spanning from June through September, is a celebration of the diversity that makes our communities vibrant and strong. Our government reaffirms its commitment to uplifting and supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, so that everyone feels safe, seen and supported.

“Here in the Yukon, Pride is a celebration where friends, families, neighbours and allies stand side by side in love and advocacy. To every member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, please know that your government is with you. We are committed to protecting your rights, promoting inclusive policies and building a territory where diversity shines and everyone belongs.

“This year, we are proud to celebrate an important milestone in the Yukon’s journey toward greater inclusion: the passing of the Inclusive Yukon Families Act. This landmark legislation modernizes several laws to reflect the realities of diverse families and ensures legal recognition and protections for families formed through surrogacy, assisted reproduction and other non-traditional pathways. It helps affirms the rights of transgender, nonbinary and 2SLGBTQIA+ Yukoners to have their families recognized under the law.

“While Pride is a time to celebrate how far we’ve come, it’s also a time to recognize the challenges we still face.

“We must keep standing up – not just for ourselves, but for the young people who are watching us, for the communities that need us and for the future where everyone feels safe, seen and supported. We must proactively call out discrimination, identify bias and make it clear that prejudice and hate do not belong in the Yukon.

“This Pride Season, we encourage Yukoners to attend local events, raise 2SLGBTQIA+ voices and reaffirm our shared commitment to safety, respect and self-determination. Let’s celebrate this year’s Pride Season in the spirit of resilience and determination.

“Happy Pride Season, Yukon!”