On May 17th, Diversity Cornwall hosted a Rainbow Rally in support of the national Rainbow Week of Action. The event began at the Diversity Cornwall office at 167 Pitt Street, with participants marching to City Hall for a flag-raising ceremony. This event marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. National Rainbow Week of Action, taking place from May 11th to 17th, aims to raise awareness and urge governments to address the rising hate and ensure safety for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and families.
Alexandre Roy, Treasurer of Diversity Cornwall and the emcee at the flag raising ceremony,emphasized the importance of the event. “It’s important to celebrate diversity; it’s important to support others and their rights. What’s going on right now is wrong. Today is the day against homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia; we have to try and fight against it. We can’t let this keephappening. We’re just people; we want to live our lives. We don’t want to be disrespected; we want equality,” Roy declared.
Liz Quenville, President of Diversity Cornwall, expressed her gratitude for the community’s support. “I’m thrilled with people who continue to show up and support the LGBTQ community in Cornwall. We’ve all seen trans rights being rolled back in different provinces across Canada. We all feel like it’s our duty to come out and show support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, particularly for trans folks in our community whose rights are under attack. I’m really happy at the people who came out to support and continue to support our organization and show our community that love wins and that we won’t stop fighting for trans rights,” Quenville stated.
Mayor Justin Towndale, who attended and spoke at the flag-raising, echoed similar sentiments.”Today is important; as a society, we’re making so much progress, but I think recently we’ve taken some steps back. We’re seeing human rights being trampled on, rights being revoked, and that’s not appropriate; that’s not fair. Love is love; let people love who they love and be who they are,” Towndale said.
The Diversity Cornwall Pride Festival will take place from July 12 to July 21. The Pride Parade and Celebration will be held at Lamoureux Park on July 20th. The parade will start at 11 a.m. from the Cornwall Aquatic Centre, followed by a celebration at Lamoureux Park beginning at 12 p.m.
