"The Director of Strathroy Pride was surprised this week to hear a story on myFM about a notice of motion to ban all flags from municipal flag poles, except the Canadian, provincial and municipal flags."

"Strathroy-Caradoc council is about to debate a motion to ban all flags from municipal flag poles, with the exception of Canadian, provincial and municipal flags.

" Then there’s lots of family fun and Emanuele says they feel very welcome in the community"

" What was being billed as yet another protested event turned into one of support and inclusion as the Strathroy Library hosted a drag storytime event Saturday in Strathroy."

" Often queer children and queer teens say they don't feel safe in rural communities,” said Emanuele. “So we need to hold more events like this to show there is love and acceptance even in small towns."

" This is a family friendly event, there will be vendors, food, live entertainment, and tons of events for children! This event is to create a safe and inclusive space for everyone of all walks of life."

Hometown Strathroy-Caradoc Magazine

July/August 2022 Issue

"Celebrating Pride with your family is a chance to spend quality time together and discuss core family values of inclusivity and diversity. "

"A community inclusion crosswalk or rainbow crosswalk is moving ahead thanks to council approval recently."

"This month's recipe comes from Strathroy Pride, a non-profit organization celebrating inclusivity and diversity in Middlesex County..."

"The municipality is investigating the creation of a rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of Frank Street and Front Street in downtown Strathroy in support of the LGBTQ2+ community."

"When myFM ran the original story, it was met with plenty of positive comments on social media but also much negative comments, and Emanuele says he hopes that people will take time to educate themselves, change their minds and focus on the positives moving forward.

"The downtown core area of Strathroy may be getting a little more colour to it in the near future"

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"Mayor Joanne Vanderheyden was in attendance and says that pride is important as it gives the opportunity to celebrate everyone in our community."

"Stroll through downtown Strathroy and you'll notice something different this summer — rainbow-coloured stickers on the windows and walls of businesses."

"I started listening to people’s stories. Conversations about growing up LGBT2Q+ in rural towns don’t come up easily. Many people who identify as queer or questioning don’t have many opportunities to talk about their identity, sexuality, or their feelings."

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"Their goal is to be a resource for the community, and for the LGBTQ2+ members of the community as a support system and to help educate everyone."

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"Every single person in our community deserves respect and to be member of the community without labels and without judgement, that's why we’re here." 

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"The one-day, virtual event is a sign of the progress being made in small, often conservative towns, but also points to how much more work needs to be done to create welcoming communities for LGBTQ+ folks in rural Ontario."

"My biggest thing is to just provide queer youth a space. You know we are here and we're living our life in a genuine positive way and that it's okay. It's okay to do this in small towns."

"I remember looking around at the people and families gathered... and for the first time in a long time, I felt a true sense of Pride." 

"It can be particularly challenging for youth growing up in rural towns, where it’s often harder to find other members of the LGBTQ+ community or access resources."