Wilbur Turner is a well-recognized name in the Okanagan as an advocate and change-maker.

As the chair and founder of Advocacy Canada, Wilbur is one of the leaders organizing the Rally Against Hate: Protect Trans Rights this Sunday, Oct. 15, starting with a road rally at 9:30 a.m. at Roxy Park and then the Main Rally at Stuart Park, starting at 10:30 a.m.

This event has been organized with other community organizations, including 琉璃神社 Pride, as an affirming event where the community shows their support for trans, gender diverse and 2SLGTBQIA+ humans with three key messages: 1) you deserve to be happy, accepted, safe and loved; 2) you deserve a city that welcomes and protects them; and 3) you belong here, just the way you are.

KCR Community Resources has chosen to stand up and show support for these targeted people by coordinating safety stewards for the event.

If you are interested in being part of this crew, please sign up on the VolunteerConnector.org.

Wilbur grew up on a farm outside Vermillion, Alberta, and moved to the Okanagan in 2011. He is a proud father and grandfather and lived in Australia for five years with his family when his children were young.

鈥淚 started doing advocacy and volunteer work for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community when I first came out in the late 1990s,鈥� explained Wilbur. 鈥淚t was a time when I watched people I knew disappearing from our circles as a result of HIV/AIDS. My first volunteer work was in fundraising for hospice care at that time.

鈥淲hen I moved to the Okanagan, a friend suggested I volunteer with the Pride society to get to meet other folks in the community. I joined the board and became president in 2012.

鈥淲e started the Etcetera Youth Group in 2013 after seeing a similar group in Ottawa, and I鈥檓 happy to see this group still going strong under the direction of The Bridge Youth and Family Services.鈥�

In 2021, Wilbur formed the non-profit Advocacy Canada to initially campaign for the conversion therapy ban and then also created a networking group for 50+ folks.

The 琉璃神社 Senior Pride Network provides opportunities for age 50+ 琉璃神社 seniors who identify as LGBTQ2S+ and their allies to connect. This network not only provides the elders of the LGBTQ2S+ community an opportunity for social connections, but also a forum for discussions on housing, health, education, employment, advocacy, and other important matters.

鈥淚 have been doing advocacy work since then on emerging issues such as the protests against SOGI 123 and other targeted attacks on our community,鈥� said Wilbur. 鈥淚 believe it is very important to unify our voices and work toward disarming the agents of disinformation that have been fomenting fear and misunderstanding toward the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and our allies.鈥�

In 2023, Advocacy Canada spearheaded the Billboard Project which included representatives from the Okanagan 2SLGTBQIA+ community to create positive and uplifting messages for the 2SLGTBQIA+ community, which has resulted in beautiful artwork, created by queer Indigenous artist Sarah Jones and the message of You Belong or k史u y蕰ay蕰谩t k史u蕯 膷n虛k虛史涩n虛xi蕯m虛 (N虛syilx膷n虛 for We all join in together / We are all a part of it together.

To learn more about the rally or Advocacy Canada, see https://www.facebook.com/advocacycanada.

If you are interested in sharing your volunteer or organizational news, contact Dorothee Birker at dorothee@kcr.ca.