Raising the Pride flag at the Civic Center in Chatham is more than just a gesture to the Chatham-Kent Gay Pride Association, it’s a show of support.
The Pride flag has been raised at city hall for more than two decades and for the last five years the flag has been raised at municipal centers in Wallaceburg, Tilbury, Blenheim, Ridgetown and Dresden.
“Thank you so much to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent for your continued support, your continued visible advocacy by raising the flags in all of your municipal centers to show everyone that we are an inclusive, growing to be a more diverse, accepting community, ” said CK Pride president Marianne Willson on Monday to kick-off Pride week in the municipality.
Willson acknowledges “there’s work yet to be done” in smaller rural communities adding, “But I think it’s important that we’re all part of that work.”
She said it takes time, growth, learning and public events like flag raisings “to let people see that it’s OK and we are all the same human . . . we just happen to have differences.
“But the differences make our community vibrant, they make our community rich and they bring our community together,” she added.
Willson also credited the great community partners that not only support Pride events, but also “help support diversity, equity and inclusion in their workplaces and with their staff members.”
She said CK Pride has been working hard over the last decade “to really push the envelope for community diversity and inclusion. . . and really to build community partners so we can all come together as one community.”
County Jamie McGrail, who represented Chatham-Kent as acting mayor at Monday’s flag raising, said the more than 75 people who participated exemplifies “the pride in Pride Week and the inclusion of everyone within our municipality.”
While there are still challenges, McGrail said, “I see within North Kent, we’re making great strides,” citing recent unanimous approval by council for a Pride crosswalk in Dresden.
“I think that’s just great and a great symbol of just communities coming together,” she said.
A number of senior Chatham-Kent police officers were at the flag raising giving a Pride flag symbol on their uniforms.
The police service’s equity, diversity and inclusion co-ordinator Sgt. Lynette Hodder said, “We’re always looking for different ways to engage in the community.”
She added the police service is excited about Pride week.
When asked about the importance of police partnering with Pride groups, Hodder said, “A lot of people know the history and it hasn’t been the most positive history, and we’re working to correct . . . those mistakes that were made in the past.
“We wholeheartedly and honestly want to be more inclusive and we want to be reflective of our community and that includes LGBTQ (community),” she added.
Pride week is filled with events, culminating with a Pride parade on Saturday followed by a festival in Chatham’s Tecumseh Park.
Willson said getting back to in-person events is huge, because “isolation is such a challenge for people who already feel isolated.
“To then have a physical isolation imposed during the pandemic was really, really difficult,” she added.
Willson said the Pride week events are good for people’s wellness to be able to come together and make peer connections and peer supports and to feel like they belong.
“I expect that we will have a great week.”
Throughout the week, Willson said people are encouraged to share their pictures and videos in support of CK Pride through social media. Details are available at www.facebook.com/PrideCK.