Vancouver will be awash with rainbow flags this weekend as people celebrate LGBTQ pride and yet, while the city is perceived by many as an inclusive and safe space to be your authentic self, some members of the queer community say that’s not necessarily the case if your skin is not white. In the lead-up to the Vancouver Pride Society’s annual August long weekend festivities, three members of the LGBTQ community who are also people of colour joined CBC’s The Early Edition Tuesday to shed light on the racism say they say is pervasive both in the city at large and online. “It’s white people who are the gatekeepers. They decide what’s acceptable or not,” said Sasha Mark, a Cree-Métis stand-up comedian and member of Vancouver’s gay community. “When we think of like nightclubs and clubs and spaces, a lot of folks feel really left out. And then also on the online world, especially on the queer dating apps, there is just a lot of blatant racism on those,” he added.