'We exist everywhere': West Nipissing to host its first-ever Pride parade in June
Three years after the Municipality of West Nipissing flew the Pride flag for the first time, it and the Pride committee are hosting the first-ever Pride parade later this month.
To kick off June as Pride month, the committee raised the Pride flag at Minnehaha Bay on Thursday afternoon with cheers coming from allies and supporters of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
When Michael Rolling came out as pansexual and transgender, he said he found it hard growing up in a smaller community where there wasn't much representation at the time.
"It's just way harder to find someone like you. You can't find people who really know what you're feeling," Rolling said.
"Be loud, be visible, be queer."
That's why said he felt empowered to speak at West Nipissing’s Pride flag raising.
Michael Rolling, who identifies as pansexual and transgender, speaks at the West Nipissing Pride flag raising. June 1/23 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)
"To people that don't understand: This is just who people are. You just have to start accepting people,” he said.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The Pride flag was first raised in 2020 shortly after the West Nipissing Pride committee formed. That particular flag raising made West Nipissing one of the first smaller northern communities to do so.
"We exist everywhere and, unfortunately, we still need support, protection and allies to speak out with us against discrimination,” said the Pride committee’s president Michel Gervais.
Gervais said there are still many transgender people who continue to face hate, bias and discrimination for their decision to come out.
He said the hate continues to ramp up online on social media platforms.
"It’s unfortunate that there’s so much hate and so much refusal to understand our perspective,” Gervais said.
For the first time this year, the committee is hosting a parade in downtown Sturgeon Falls on June 10.
The committee is working with the municipality on all the details, floats and organizing the route.
"It’s been a goal of ours since 2020," said Gervais.
West Nipissing Mayor Kathleen Rochon spoke for a few minutes at the flag raising expressing council’s support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies.
"We finally have the right place and right time that they can bring their dream of having a Pride parade right here in Sturgeon Falls,” she said.
"We have many citizens who identify as part of the 2SLGBTQS+ community."
For the people who have faced prejudice for being who they are, seeing the flag and knowing a parade is around the corner gives them hope for a brighter future of acceptance.
"There are people in the community that do support people like me," Rolling said smiling.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.