Rainbow Rally includes march and flag raising

On 17th May, Diversity Cornwall hosted a Rainbow Rally in support of National Rainbow Action Week. The event began at the Diversity Cornwall office at 167 Pitt Street, with participants proceeding to the Town Hall for a flag-raising ceremony. This event marked the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. The National Rainbow Week of Action, which will take place from 11 to 17 May, aims to raise awareness and urge governments to tackle rising hate and ensure the safety of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and families.

Alexandre Roy, treasurer of Diversity Cornwall and emcee at the flag raising ceremony, emphasized the importance of the event. “It’s important to celebrate diversity; it is important to stand up for others and their rights. What is happening now is wrong. Today is the day against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia; we must try to fight against it. We cannot let this happen. We are only human; we want to live our lives. We don’t mean to be disrespectful; we want equality,” said Roy.

Liz Quenville, Chair of Diversity Cornwall, expressed her gratitude for the community’s support. “I am delighted with the people who continue to come forward and support the LGBTQ community in Cornwall. We have all seen the rollback of trans rights in various provinces across Canada. We all feel it is our duty to come out and show support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, especially the trans people in our community whose rights are under attack. I am very happy for the people who came out to support and continue to support our organization and show our community that love wins and we will not stop fighting for trans rights,” said Quenville.

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 we’ve recently taken a few steps back. We see human rights being trampled upon, rights being revoked and that is 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 between 12th and 21st July. The Pride parade and celebration will take place at Lamoureux Park on July 20. The parade will start at 11am from the Cornwall Aquatic Centre, followed by a celebration at Lamoureux Park starting at 12pm.