Hamilton's first Queer Prom was a night to remember

A group known as Fruit Salad: Hamilton Edition has been busy over the past few months coordinating queer events in the city — including a Queer Prom.

Fruit Salad is a group that aims to gather and celebrate the queer community through these events as a response to the lack of spaces for queer women and gender non-conforming folks and is inspired by MTL Blush Parties Salade de Fruits.

Before Pride Month kicked off, Queer Prom was hosted at the Art Gallery of Hamilton on May 22 and offered a space for members of the queer community to come out, dressed to impress, for a night of dancing and celebration.

For some community members, this meant a second (or even third) chance at prom night and for others it was the opportunity to celebrate themselves in an authentic and meaningful way.

No matter what brought folks out to Queer Prom, several told CBC Hamilton it was certainly a night to remember and one they won't soon forget.

Tea-Lynn Van Dyk is a transgender woman and "very gay," as she describes herself. Her wife Gabrielle Van Dyk is a queer cis-gendered woman.

They travelled an hour from Norfolk County to attend Queer Prom in Hamilton that Sunday night in May.

They were excited to attend the event and it also acted as an extended celebration for their fourteenth wedding anniversary that they marked a week before.

"It's probably the gayest event I've ever been to and I've marched in Pride," Tea Lynn said.

Tea-Lynn said "it was just a celebration of acceptance and who we are. It was really wonderful."

"The venue was beautiful," Gabrielle said of the Art Gallery of Hamilton space. "It was fantastic, especially in the spring, just being able to have the outdoor space as well just kind of flow freely in and out."

After trying on dresses for Queer Prom together the weekend before, the Van Dyk's decided to go with bright, bold colours.

Tea-Lynn said she tried on 15 dresses and the cobalt blue one was the winner

"It just kind of surpassed all the other dresses and we stuck with it," Gabrielle said, "then I just got one to match hers, because who doesn't love big, bold colours?"