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Celebrating Pride Month: June 2026

May 27, 2026 - Waterloo Public Library
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Special Day or Month of Significance

Pride Month is a time to honour the progress made in the fight for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, while also recognizing the ongoing journey towards equality and acceptance.

At Waterloo Public Library, we are dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging and understanding, and invite you to join us in discovering Pride Month reading suggestions, programs, events, and resources designed to educate, entertain, and empower. This is a great opportunity to learn, to have fun and to appreciate how each member of our community contributes to creating safe, welcoming spaces for one another. Together, let’s create a world where everyone can thrive.

Celebrate Pride Month with reading suggestions, programs, resources and more below.

Reading List

Under One Rainbow
Chris Ayala-Kronos; pictures by Sol Salinas
Rainbow Parenting: Your Guide to Raising Queer Kids and Their Allies
Lindz Amer
Pride Parades
Abbie Saunders
Gay Club!
Simon James Green
Pride & Persistence: Stories of Queer Activism
Mary Fairhurst Breen
Being Ace: An Anthology of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection
Edited by Madeline Dyer
Asking for a Friend
Ronnie Riley
The Palace of Eros
Carolina De Robertis
O.K. is Gay
Vincent X. Kirsch
Stuck with You
'Nathan Burgoine
Marley's Pride
Joëlle Retener; illustrated by DeAnn Wiley
Baby Making for Everybody: Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents
Ray Rachlin
Rainbowsaurus
Steve Antony
The Cure for Drowning
Loghan Paylor
The Ribbon Skirt
Cameron Mukwa
Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories
Torrey Peters
Queer history A to Z: 100 Years of LGBTQ+ Activism
Robin Stevenson; illustrated by Vivian Rosas
One Word, Six Letters
Adib Khorram
Family Week
Sarah Moon
Maybe Tomorrow I'll Know: A Novel
Alex Ritany

Featured Resources

eBooks & eAudiobooks with downloadLibrary & Libby

Find a selection of eBooks and eAudiobooks from downloadLibrary and the Libby app.

CBC Gem: Pride Collection

Films, docs and series telling the stories of the LGTBQ2+ community.

2SLGBTQ+ Cinema

Stream 2SLGBTQ+ films with Kanopy

Community Resources & Events

  • Grand River Pride

    Grand River Pride strives to help 2SLGBTQIA+ people to find a sense of belonging. Grand River Pride envisions a community where all people are welcome, recognized, safe, valued, and celebrated, regardless of how they identify or who they love.

  • OK2BME

    OK2BME is a set of supportive services run through KW Counselling for 2SLGBTQIA+ identified youth and teens in Waterloo Region. Explore their monthly calendar for upcoming OK2BME groups and other LGBTQ community events.

  • Pink Sober Club Event

    The Pink Sober Club offers an inclusive, alcohol- and substance-free drag show experience designed to be welcoming to all attendees. Featuring a lineup of local performers, the event combines entertainment with community impact by operating on a pay-what-you-wish model, with proceeds supporting the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region.

    Date: Friday, June 12
    Time: 8:00 to 10:00pm
    Location: Indulgence Studio – 279 Weber St. N., Waterloo
    Learn more here.

  • Pride Painting & Community For All Day Event
    The Pride Painting & Community for All Day event at Trillium Lutheran Church brings people together to celebrate diversity, creativity, and inclusion through activities like collaborative stair painting and a free community BBQ, while also supporting youth initiatives through a small fundraiser.
    Date: Saturday, May 30
    Time: 11:00am to 5:30pm
    Location: Trillium Lutheran Church – 22 Willow St., Waterloo
    Learn more here.
  • Pride Paradise: The Crystal Room Event

    Pride in Paradise: The Crystal Room is a high-energy Pride celebration that brings together DJs, drag performers, and community members for a vibrant night of music, dance, and self-expression, while also supporting local organizations through fundraising and merchandise sales, creating a space that celebrates inclusivity, identity, and collective joy.

    Date: Saturday, June 6
    Time: 8:30pm to 1:00am
    Location: THEMUSEUM – 10 King St. W., Kitchener

    This is a paid event. Learn more and get tickets here.

  • Rainbow Coalition of Waterloo Region

    The Waterloo Region Rainbow Coalition (WRRC) is a volunteer-based community association that acts as a central hub for the local Rainbow community. They promote sustainable opportunities for advocacy, awareness, education and community-building that are respectful of the diverse interests within the Rainbow community, and work with local allies to foster a strong and inclusive community. Find upcoming events on their online calendar.

  • SPECTRUM: Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space

    SPECTRUM is an organization that serves, affirms, and supports the well-being of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Waterloo Region and the broader community through peer support, community partnerships, education and training, resources, and events. Visit their website to learn more and view events.

     

  • tri-Pride

    tri-Pride is a community Pride organization that aim to create inclusive and accessible events for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge region. tri-Pride annually runs Summerfest, with live performances, vendors, food and more.

    Summerfest 2026
    Date: Saturday, June 6
    Time: 12-8pm
    Location: Willow River Park, Kitchener

    Learn more on tri-Pride’s website.

  • University of Waterloo Glow Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity

    Glow is the oldest continually-running university-based 2SLGBTQ+ group in Canada dedicated to promoting healthy attitudes toward all sexual orientations and gender identities on campus at the University of Waterloo. Learn more on their website.

    Pride Re-raising Ceremony
    Date: Monday, June 1
    Time: 11:45am to 1:00pm
    Learn more here.

  • Willow River Centre

    Willow River Centre is an open community space for Two-Spirit, IndigiQueer, Racialized, LGBTQ+ members and accomplices to come together.

Waterloo Public Library

WPL’s Check It Out blog is your go-to destination for all things literary, curated with care by your trusted library staff. With insightful book reviews, reading suggestions, helpful resources and more, we’re here to inspire and guide you on your journey through all that the library has to offer.

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