First Pride parade comes to Nova Scotia’s south coast
Residents of southern Nova Scotia are gearing up for the area first Pride paradewhich will be held on July 9 in the city of Bridgewater.
Lunenburg County Pride hosts the parade, with individuals, organizations and businesses registering to participate in the event.
Shelley McCorriston, one of the founders of Lunenburg County Pride, expects the parade to be an emotional experience for her.
McCorriston grew up in the area at a time when, according to her, there wasn’t much information about the LGBTQ community.
“I know I’ll probably shed a tear like when we get there because it’s so hugely important to me,” she said of the parade.
Lunenburg County Pride president Steve Ellis says organizing the parade for the first time has been a lot of work, especially since the organization is small.
However, he says “it’s something that’s really fun because you can really see the sense of community.”
The parade starts at 2:00 PM AT. Ellis says the route, which begins at the Bridgewater NSCC campus, will have areas that are accessible.
“It’s a gradual descent [from NSCC]with different areas for people to come and watch,” he said, “and then the last part of the parade is on completely flat ground and there are several entrances where people with mobility issues can … stop and enjoy the parade. “
Ellis says people who register for the parade also have the option to sit in a vehicle if they can’t walk.
Security issues and community
While looking forward to the parade, McCorriston says there have been concerns about the safety of community members and the performers they have hired, in light of rising recoil in Canada against the LGBTQ community.
“In my opinion, we’re not in the best climate right now to be out and cheating,” she said. “It kind of feels like we’re going backwards in a lot of areas, even though I think overall progress will move forward over time.”
She says Lunenburg County Pride plans to have police at certain events.
For Ellis, the parade is an opportunity to strengthen community spirit.
“I hope these things … will bleed into everyday life so that people realize that Pride exists outside of Halifax, and here we are in Lunenburg County,” he said.
In addition to the parade, Lunenburg County Pride will host events July 9-15, including a senior social gathering and a drag queen story. The organization will release more details about her social media pages.
