Every August Ottawa celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ2+ community in our city. For the last three years we've teamed up with our friends West and Danielle at Clover Food + Drink to brew a beer honouring the We Demand protest. Organized on Parliament Hill in 1971, this protest marked the first public demonstration for LGBTQ2+ rights in Canada's history.
This year, we've teamed up with Clover and Queering613 to host a party at the brewery to launch this year's edition of 1971 Pale Ale and to celebrate Ottawa's queer community. Everyone is welcome. There'll be delicious food from Clover who will be popping up at the brewery, we'll have great music and 12 taps of delicious beer (and cider!) available for purchase. We've even licensed the parking lot just for the occasion. Our friends at Brew Donkey have arranged a bus from downtown to the brewery to safely shuttle guests to and from the party.
Significantly, a portion of the proceeds of every can of 1971 sold will support the Ten Oaks Project; a charitable, volunteer-driven organization that engages and connects children and youth from LGBTQ2+ families identities and communities through programs like Camp Ten Oaks.
At Dominion City we welcome everyone, regardless of which gender you identify with (if any), where you come from and importantly, no matter who you love. For a company like ours to declare these things in 2018 is relatively uncontroversial. For the approximately 200 demonstrators who showed up on Parliament Hill more than 40 years ago to demand equal treatment under the law, it could have been career-ending and was almost certain to invite discrimination. Their courage was the beginning of real change in Canada and we invite you to join us in honouring them and in celebrating the spirit of progress they championed.