Dean Nelson
Dean L. Nelson (born September 17, 1969 in Banff, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian event producer, LGBT activist, social media contributor, travel writer, and philanthropist living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dean is best known as the face and personality of Whistler Pride the annual Whistler Gay Ski Week that takes place annually at the end of January in the Resort of Whistler, British Columbia at the award winning Whistler Blackcomb Mountains.
He is the founder and executive producer of the first Olympic LGBT pavilion called Pride House during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver/Whistler, Canada. Pride House became the third most talked AbOUT news story of the Olympic Winter Games (homophobia within Sport). Dean continues to sit on the advisory committee with Pride House International.
He is the co-founder of Mr Gay World and Founder of Mr. Gay Canada - a competition for gay identified men to promote LGBT rights through public performance and leadership
TV / Movie Appears
- OUTtv Original TV Series Outspoken (1 episode, 2013)
- OUTtv | Outlook TV "WinterPRIDE" Whistler special report (2013)
- OUTtv Original TV Series (2011) "Favorite Places"
- OUTtv Original TV documentary (2008) "Mr. Gay Canada"
- He was one of the subjects in an award winning feature documentary, Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride.
Notable accomplishments
- 1992 - 2006 Altitude, Whistler Gay Ski Week
- 2006 - 2014 WinterPRIDE, GayWhistler Ski Week - also referred to as Whistler Pride
- 2015–Present festival has been renamed: Whistler Pride + Ski Festival
Past board member
- Vancouver Pride Society
- 2008 World InterPride Vancouver Conference
- 2011 North America Outgames Vancouver
Awards and accolades
- 2014 Vancouver Pride Grand Marshal
- 2014 Vancouver Pride Sports Legacy Award recipient
- 2011 Out Vision Trail Blazer
- 2010 Pride Toronto Awards in Excellence in Sports
- 2009 OUTtv Queers of the Year - Vancouver