A new pride event was struck down days before its scheduled date
Photo via transfest.ca.
Victoria’s inaugural TransFest was supposed to take place on Aug. 16, 2025, but was cancelled the day before, amid controversy.
According to the TransFest website, the festival was intended to spotlight and uplift the local Two Spirit, transgender, and gender diverse (2STGD) community, showcasing artists, performers, and vendors of all kinds in a day of celebration.
On Friday, Aug. 15, one of the event’s main organizers, Frances Riley, posted on Instagram that the event would be cancelled. At the time of the cancellation, many volunteers and some sponsors of TransFest had already rescinded their support and presence.
The cancellation was due, in part, to the District of Saanich pulling the permits from the event. The District was to provide the tables, chairs, tents, and the stages for the Variety Show.
In an emailed statement to the Martlet, the District cited “unresolved public safety concerns” as their primary reason for revoking the permits. This information came after many sponsors had already pulled their support, and was not made public until the official statement from TransFest was released.
Earlier in the week, TransFest controversially announced that Dr. Aaron Devor, UVic sociology professor and Chair in Transgender Studies, would hold a role in the event. Devor’s role would have included speaking, as well as a spot at a booth.
The Martlet reached out to Devor prior to publication, but he declined to comment at that time.
In a later statement emailed to the Martlet, Devor said that “the Chair in Transgender Studies did pay the required $50 fee to have an informational table at TransFest. I was never informed about who would be at other tables, nor do I know who would have been at tables near my own.”
In the statement, Devor said he was “asked to provide a 3-minute welcome to the event which was scheduled to run for six hours,” and added that he considers this “a very minor role.”
Devor said his welcome speech would have resembled what he typically says at the beginning of Moving Trans History Forward conferences: “Remember that life is short. Use your time here on earth to make the world a better place. Remember that we all need each other. So, spend time with people you don’t usually spend time with. We all have two ears, two eyes, and only one mouth. Listen more than you speak. Observe. Learn. Remember that no one is perfect. You will make mistakes. So will other people. Only God is perfect. Be allies to each other. ‘Call people in’ to grow. Don’t ‘Call people out’ through public shame and humiliation. Be kind, be gentle, be generous, to yourselves and to others. Remember the Golden Rule: Do onto other only as you would have them do onto you.”
Following the announcement, and a mere few days before the event, Wander Lost, a drag performer who was initially a volunteer and performer coordinator for TransFest, said multiple volunteers expressed distaste for who was being involved in the event via “a vague statement” in a social media post, which has since been deleted.
The hostility presumably stems from Devor’s presence at the event, and stems from allegations of his being a Zionist, along with a general discomfort around involving politicians in the day of pride.
“Trans rights and being queer in general is very political, but that doesn’t mean we need political parties at the forefront of things,” they said.
Camas Books & Infoshop, a local business that was initially involved in the festival, also withdrew their support on Aug. 14 via an Instagram post, stating “We support the Palestinian struggle for liberation and autonomy from the settler apartheid state of Israel.”
They cited the “involvement of Zionists” as their reason for stepping away.
Camas Books was not the only vendor to step away. Belle General, a locally-owned general store that specializes in uplifting local queer artists, also withdrew their Gold Sponsor status from TransFest a mere day before the intended event.
“It wasn’t just Aaron Devor,” said Katie Mogan, the owner of Belle General. Mogan also expressed frustrations about the festival’s organization, and the lack of communication she experienced in the week leading up to the event.
Other sponsors, such as Luna Collective, were largely disappointed and frustrated with the lack of communication and accountability from the TransFest organizers. This retail store was also a Gold Star sponsor, and says they did not receive any contact from the organizers about the event being cancelled.
“I was disappointed for our community,” said Eryn Beattie, owner of Luna Collective. “What I saw was the protection and preferential treatment towards one individual versus listening to the … requests from the community.”
TransFest Initiatives Inc. said, in an online statement, that their work is “non-political in nature” and that they “oppose all forms of oppression.” The statement, however, did not specifically mention Devor or Palestine.
Riley posted an additional statement over a week later, again on Instagram, expressing her regret about the event’s cancellation. According to the statement, a new variety show is to take place at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall sometime this fall, where they hope to “move forward with renewed purpose” and “no public speeches.”
The Martlet reached out to Riley, who also declined to comment by publication time.
Another alternative event was held in place of TransFest on Aug. 16 at Camas Books, which was supportive of “pro-Trans and pro-Palestine liberation.” Mogan told the Martlet this event saw only a fraction of the turnout that TransFest would have received.
TransFest allegedly has yet to refund their vendors and artists, who were required to pay a $50 registration fee, although some have been told the process is in the works. Some Gold Star sponsors — those who pledged $200 — have reallocated their funding to the artists themselves and others say they are still requesting their refunds from Riley.
Some participants said they have no desire to be further involved with TransFest in any capacity, while others are hopeful for a future event.
Wander Lost was an early volunteer coordinator for TransFest, and hopes to host an event in 2026 called TransPride, which they say will emphasize accessibility and enable “everyone be a part of it.”
However, a lingering sense of disappointment about the handling of the cancellation persists amongst hopes for a more successful event in the future.
“[The trans community] were robbed of something that was supposed to be really wonderful,” Mogan said.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article reported that Devor would hold a “key role” in the event, and that his booth would be situated alongside local politicians. Devor clarified this information in a statement to the Martlet after publication. The article has been edited to reflect this information.
