‘It’s an act of resistance’: Pride Haldimand Norfolk hosts festival in Caledonia

Pauline Burke wants to make the world a more inclusive place, one rainbow beanie at a time.

“It’s my form of activism,” said Burke, who crochets hats, shirts and other clothes in Pride flag colors and sells them at Pride festivals across southern Ontario.

“Hatred is spreading, and it’s getting scarier and scarier,” Burke said. “So this is one way of fighting that.”

Burke will be among the vendors set up at Pride Day this Saturday at McKinnon Park Secondary School in Caledonia from noon to 5 pm

The festival, organized by Pride Haldimand Norfolk, promises a full slate of family friendly entertainment headlined by drag artist Eve 6000 — featured on the second season of “Canada’s Drag Race” — along with arts and crafts, kids’ activities and food trucks.

Burke and her spouse, visual artist Lea Ingram, are visiting 15 Pride festivals this year — including in Hamilton in August — as OWL and the Crafty Beaver.

“Right now, given the political climate, it’s very important to be visible and support our community. Especially the small festivals,” Burke said, pointing to anti-trans legislation passed in some US states, threats made against drag storytime performers, and the recent decision of Norwich council to ban Pride flags on city property.

“This is the way we can support — by being visible, dealing in rainbows and happiness, and educating people,” Burke said.

The first few Pride Days in Haldimand-Norfolk attracted protesters, but Pride Haldimand Norfolk chair Robyn Cunningham Edl said “people’s comfort levels have changed” since the inaugural festival at Dunnville’s Central Park in 2017.

“We’ve been met with a lot more welcoming attitudes from the county and local community groups,” Cunningham Edl said, mentioning an uptick in sponsorship, volunteers and donations this year.

“The overall tone has been excitement for the event and support and encouragement. And that’s been awesome,” she said.

Cunningham Edl is particularly excited to welcome drag queens and openly gay performers to Caledonia.

“I think it’s important, especially for youth in a rural community, to have that representation come into their own town and see that they are thriving and making a career and an impact in the world,” she said.

“This is a safe space where people can celebrate inclusion. Too often queer people feel forced to move to larger cities in order to find other like-minded people. We want to encourage people to express themselves right here in our rural communities.”

Life in rural areas can be especially challenging for trans and non-binary people, said Will Rowe, co-founder of Hamilton-based resource center Kyle’s Place.

“Trans people would be less visible and potentially more afraid to come out in those areas, because (they) tend to be the most marginalized and make the least amount of money, and often have zero family support,” Rowe said.

Rowe attended Pride Day in Haldimand-Norfolk last year and appreciated the festival’s grassroots nature.

“It’s more family friendly, and it’s done by the community,” he said. “Especially right now, I think it’s an act of resistance against a lot of the backlash that’s currently happening in North America.”

To Burke, being a vendor at Pride goes well beyond making a living.

“The more visible we help people be, perhaps the more accepted we will be. Hopefully,” she said.

JP Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.