The Fundamental Truths of Pride - did you know?..
To take a look into our newest window display ‘did you know?..’, it’s necessary to understand its purpose.
We thought it was imperative to move away from the standardized timeline and rainbow window that many retailers utilize during the summer months of Pride. For those who are set in their ways, and perhaps not seeking out new information, we were driven to peak their curiosity. Eager to allure the Gastown neighbourhood and the community abroad, we've designed a display that goes against the grain - the more customary communication that Pride Month has become, and create awareness by sharing information in an unbiased manner.
Crystal & Pearl Spike choker
Band Aid Dog Tag necklace
Tarra Drape shirt
Pleated Floral skirt
Stripe Track pants
Tondo Lapin Fedora hat
System Blazer-vest
Double Placket shirt
Hailey Bathrobe snapback
Overalls Denim
Woodland Top blouse
Pride isn’t a holiday. It isn’t something that just lasts for a period of time. It also isn’t new.
‘did you know?..’ showcases facts from around the world, both past and present, that show how the LGBTQA+ community has had a role to play for hundreds, even thousands of years. It highlights how gender has been viewed by different cultures, at different times, and allows us to understand that our norm is quite a new colonial concept.
Secret Location also wanted to shed light on how style does not need to be conformed to such tight societal views. That what is feminine and/or masculine has its place wherever you see fit in how you express yourself.
view from 1 Water St, Gastown.
Our hope is that over the course of the last couple of months, you stopped, thought, and learnt something new.
We are a company and a collective of individuals that are ever changing, but believe we have a social responsibility to be kind, to be empathetic, and to remind ourselves that no matter your experience with another - you’ve never walked a day in their shoes.
As people occupying an ever changing world, with more tragedies than we know what to do with, should it really be so challenging to wish others well as long as their choices don’t harm others?
Some eye opening information learnt:
- The first Vancouver Pride march occurred in 1979, alongside Montreal. The first two official cities in Canada.
- Until 1969 homosexuality was criminalized in Canada.
- Approximately 3% - 5% of Canadians openly identify as LGBTWA+.
- 1 out of every 2000 children born every year are intersex.
- Across First Nations people, Two Spirit is an umbrella term to define gender variance. The Two Spirit people are valued members of their communities, and historically have been considered sacred or divine.
- The concept that there are only two genders is a relatively new and colonial concept.
- The Muxes of Zapotec, Mexico are a people that identify as neither male or female. And they have lived in this region since the pre-hispanic era.
- The Hijra consider themselves a third gender in India. They have a long history in South Asia dating back to 400 B.C. In the past they often served as entertainers to both Hindu and Muslim leaders and their advisors.
- The Samoans have a people that identify as a third gender or non-binary, called Fa'afafine.
- In 1990 the World Health Organization (WHO) finally removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), no longer classifying it as a mental disorder.
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