Fierté Simcoe Pride celebrations are in full swing this week in Simcoe County.
The festivities kicked off Monday afternoon with a flag-raising ceremony at Orillia's City Centre. Fierté Simcoe Pride then held similar ceremonies in Midland and Tiny, and were set to do the same today in Tay, Barrie, New Tecumseth and Innisfil.
Fierté Simcoe Pride president Colin Nelthorpe says it’s important for the non-profit organization to make its presence known across the county.
“We try to bring Pride to people instead of people having to travel to Pride,” he said. “Someone who is queer in a small community might not have met someone else who’s queer and the world of people just like them that exists outside of where they live.”
The flag-raising ceremonies are meant to show people they are not alone in their sexual orientations and gender identities.
“We are seeing a lot more people attending than we did last year,” Nelthorpe said. “The Orillia one was very well attended by city staff, members of council, members of the hospital, and a lot of members from the community and university as well.”
The support of local municipalities in Pride events shows their willingness to be more inclusive, he says.
“Having staff involved gets the community involved as well,” Nelthorpe said. “As more people become more aware and involved, it will inherently create a more accepting and safer environment for queer people to exist in.”
While hosting events outside of Pride Month, Fierté Simcoe Pride is often met with confusion from some community members.
“Pride can exist during any time of year,” he said. “People aren’t only queer during one month of the year; it’s how they are every day of the year.”
One of the marquee events of this year’s Fierté Simcoe Pride celebrations is the Trans March in Orillia, which is taking place Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. The march will start at the Kiwanis Skate Park and participants will then head to Couchiching Beach Park on the paved trail along the waterfront.
The theme this year is “Protect Trans Youth, Protect Trans Elders.”
For more information and a full list of Fierté Simcoe Pride events that run through to Aug. 7, click here.
