Elgin County Pride! by Peri Hayes Organized by Rainbow Optimist Club of Southwestern Ontario, Devon Church delightedly introduces: “Elgin County Pride is a committee made up of 15 amazing humans – all of us from diverse backgrounds, united with the common goal of creating a safe and welcoming community. The large majority of us identify as 2STLGBQIA+, and we live and/or work in Elgin County. We meet monthly on the third Thursday via Zoom.” The Rainbow Optimist Club of Southwestern Ontario received their charter in 2018, becoming the first in the world to join the Optimist International family. With their mandate to promote diversity and inclusion to the rural communities of Elgin, Middlesex and Oxford Counties, education and opportunity are at the forefront of LGBT2Q+ support. Devon passionately details, “As someone who has grown up 2STLGBQIA+ in St. Thomas, I have been working with the queer community since our first local GSA/QSA in 2003 with an amazing teacher at Central Elgin Collegiate Institute, Lori Girard. The first pride in St. Thomas that I know of was actually a picnic in the park organized by St. Thomas Elgin Rainbow Alliance (STERA). The Elgin County Pride Committee was established in 2021 as an offshoot of the Rainbow Optimist Club of Southwestern Ontario -- when we had our first event, The Deshkin Indigenous Women’s drumming circle in the bandshell at Pinafore Park.” This year’s Elgin County Pride is scheduled from August 5th until August 11th, commencing with the Pride flag being raised on August 2nd. Following an incredible week of activities, such as Movie Night, a BBQ Picnic and much more, Family Pride will be held in Pinafore Park on August 10th with the Parade thereafter on August 11th. Pride in the Park will proceed rain or shine.
“Pride encompasses several important elements to my rural, queer heart: Visibility and Representation, Community and Solidarity, Empowerment and Advocacy, Education and Awareness, Celebration and Joy, and Resilience and Hope,” Devon earnestly expresses. “Pride is not just a parade or a festival – it’s a daily act of courage, a commitment to fighting for a better, more inclusive future for all queer youth.” Those with inquiries are welcome to email elgincountypride@gmail.com,
as well as connect through Facebook at ‘Elgin County Pride.’ Explore the elgincountypride.com website for their current Elgin County Pride calendar, and seize the opportunity to partake in this joyous community celebration. Devon concludes with the
following essential message: “It’s important for me to remember that queer liberation is impossible without liberation for others, including the Palestinian people. There’s no pride in genocide.”
Page 28 Hometown St. Thomas • July-August 2024
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