News release details

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) kicks off Pride celebrations on Friday, May 24 with Canadian drag sensation and 2SLGBTQI+ activist Kendall Gender. The event is part of the CMHR’s Beyond the Beat Music Series. Inspired by Beyoncé’s iconic Renaissance world tour, Kendall will perform KENAISSANCE, an immersive, high‐energy drag show. Kendall Gender is best known for her stellar appearance on Season 2 of Canada’s Drag Race, where she placed in the top three. Tickets are $20 and include pre‐show access to Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change.

Beyond the Beat Music Series: Celebrating Pride— Kendall Gender’s KENAISSANCE

Friday, May 24, 2024
8:00 p.m.: Doors and Beyond the Beat exhibition open
9:00 p.m.: Show
10:30 p.m.: Afterparty
Bonnie & John Buhler Hall, Level 1, CMHR
Cost: 20$ 

On Sunday, May 26, tickets remain for a joyful combination of brunch and drag from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Later that day, enjoy Beyond the Rainbow Storytime from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. as local drag artists read uplifting tales celebrating inclusivity and Pride.

Beyond the Rainbow Brunch (sold out!)

May 26, 2024 
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Boreal Bistro, Level 1, CMHR
Cost: Tickets are $20 and do not include food. Once you arrive at Boreal Bistro on the day of the brunch, choose your favorite items from the menu; items vary in price. Register online and secure your spot.

Beyond the Rainbow Storytime

May 26, 2024 
2:30 p.m – 3:30 p.m.
Stuart Clark Garden of Contemplation, Level 3, CMHR
Cost: Free

Pride Festival Weekend June 1–2

Quiet Zone during Pride Festival Weekend – The Museum is happy to provide space for festivalgoers to cool off and chill out in the Manitoba Teachers’ Society Classrooms on Level 1. The Quiet Zone will be open on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2 from noon to 5 p.m.

The Museum’s Boutique Pop‐up Shop 

Get all your Pride gear at our pop‐up shop on Sunday, June 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We’ll be set up just outside the Museum’s main entrance. Find Pride flags, pins and apparel, and even pick up a free paper fan to keep yourself cool during the festivities! 

Free Saturday Pride Tours in June 

Every Saturday in June, the Museum will offer tours at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. highlighting 2SLGBTQI+ content. These tours are included in admission. Visitors are also encouraged to check out the new exhibit on the LGBT Purge in the Canadian Journeys gallery on Level 2, opening just in time for Pride. From the 1950s to the 1990s, thousands of people in the Canadian military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and federal civil service had their careers stalled or ended because their sexual orientation or gender identity was considered a threat to the country they chose to serve. This extensive violation of human rights, one of the largest and longest‐running in any workforce in Canadian history, has come to be known as the “LGBT Purge.” 

An official opening of the LGBT Purge exhibit will take place May 31 with a media invite to follow.