A long way to go

A week of celebration focusing on the diversity of our community was a resounding success.
Borderland Pride must be commended for their effort this year. Hopefully the community will embrace the celebration for future years.
From the infancy of an idea to the culmination of a transborder walk to a community “BBQueer” lunch in Rainy Lake Square and family activities, “Pride Week” was celebration by border communities supporting the LGBTQ2 community
Overflowing crowds at various events in support of “Pride Week” were an indication that Borderland is growing to accept the differences of all of its citizens. It was significant that the high school students belonging to the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) led the parade across the border.
Historically, many of the LGBTQ2 community would have been shunned or discriminated in our community.
Many would have remained “in the closet” or have moved to an urban centre where there’s a wider community of people with similar lifestyles. The community lost many good people because of the barriers in the district.
By celebrating and participating in “Pride Week,” the community has moved forward.
The new Ford government has taken a step backward in choosing to return to the 1998 sex education program that fails to acknowledge the different and acceptable lifestyles of many of Ontario’s citizens.
Millennials, seniors, and GSA members all must come together to politically change the mind of the current PC provincial government.
This return to the old sex-education program will again hurt students who have self-identified as being different. The old program again permits discrimination to members of the LGBTQ2 community by failing to recognize that it is OK to be different.
It seems we still have a long way to go.
–Jim Cumming