Ladysmith’s second annual Pride celebration painted First Avenue in rainbow colours on Sunday, June 1, as the town came together to stand up, speak out and celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ love and lives in our community.
The festivities followed a flag-raising at city hall on Friday, May 30, led by Councillor Ray Gourlay, who delivered a passionate speech affirming the town’s commitment to inclusion and resistance.
“We raise the pride flag today to affirm and celebrate that the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are our people, that they are welcome here, that they belong here, that they are home here, in Ladysmith,” Gourlay said.
“We raise this flag to celebrate and affirm the values of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community: inclusion, diversity, acceptance, resistance, joy, love. And I mention resistance, because in the same way that Canadians rallied around the Canada flag as a protest against threats to our sovereignty, raising this pride flag is in itself an act of resistance and protest as well. We are making the statement that there is no place for hate, discrimination, homophobia or transphobia in our community.
“In a time when the hard-fought rights and freedoms of the queer community are under threat in so many parts of the world and this continent — we raise this flag as an act of protest and we affirm that every family is equally valid and beautiful, every gender expression is worthy of recognition and respect, and every person, no matter whom they love, is welcome and valued in the Town of Ladysmith.”
The Chronicle was on location at both events and asked attendees: What does Ladysmith Pride mean to you?
While every answer touched on celebration and love of community, many also expressed the increased importance of visibility and resistance in a time of rising anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric.
For Gregory Finnegan and Richard Dominy, who moved to Ladysmith from Victoria five years ago, the event affirmed a sense of belonging.
“This town is definitely very accepting and I think that’s crucial,” said Finnegan. “You don't even think about it. In [other] places where you do, you can feel it. I’ve never had any issues here, I don't think, not at all.”
Mari Verchere, a Ladysmith resident whose grandfather served on town council a century ago, said she was attending in support of her community.
“Pride flags and rainbow crosswalks save lives," Verchere said. "As a former queer youth myself, I know that’s something that would have made a big difference for me.”
Frances Raftis, who moved to Ladysmith five years ago after living in the West End of Vancouver, echoed that sentiment.
“I’ve lived in big cities most of my life. I was used to being immersed in the queer community and that feeling of safety that comes from [being surrounded by others who are also] gender non-conformist. I was a little worried, honestly, moving to Ladysmith but it’s been totally fine, and seeing this is really encouraging.”
Ladysmith Pride Society organizers including Sarah Martichenko, Lacey Redding, Kezia Cloke and Jonelle Andrew echoed Gourlay's comments about Pride as resistance.
“It feels like an act of resistance now more than ever,” said Andrew. “And I think we're just really grateful to be in a town that embraces it and we're grateful for the support."
Martichenko said the second annual event reflects real momentum.
“The special part is that this is our second annual celebration. So last year was the first, and now it's like things are very real and we’re doing the thing. We’re getting more momentum, more community, more engagement and support.”
James Chamberlain and Alexandra Amor staffed the booth at Pride for Island Queers and Allies Who Care. It's a charitable organization that funds 2SLGBTQIA+ projects and queer friendly initiatives on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Discovery Islands. They said Pride is a joyful time, but also a necessary one.
“I think nowadays Pride is about reasserting our need to protest,” said Chamberlain, “because the wave of transphobia that's happening through the States and across Canada is having a huge impact on people — a negative impact on trans and non-binary youth."
Chamberlain speaks from experience. He is a longtime educator and 2SLGBTQIA+ advocate, best known for his landmark role in Chamberlain v. Surrey School District No. 36, the Supreme Court of Canada case that affirmed the right to include books featuring same-sex parents in school classrooms.
“So in addition to being a festival and a joyful time, it's a reminder of the roots of Pride that were in protest, and we need to be vocal. We need to be standing up for trans youth and adults and, whether we're allies or whether we're members of the community, we need to be their voice because it's unsafe for many of them.”
Adriana Cumming-Teicher brought both urgency and a long view, with an emphasis on visibility and care.
“I will always think of kids," she said. "People and community being visible makes you feel, ‘Alright, there is a home and a space for me.’ There's a lot of hallmarks of growing up and making friends and building community that is very tied to very heteronormative understandings of what that means. I think Pride provides an avenue, however brief and momentary it is, for kids to be like, ‘I see people in community with each other and can look at that and hope for a kind of future.’"
She reflected on ideas of small versus big town attitudes within the larger political context of North America.
“Everyone knows about Trump and everyone knows about the conservative thrust to re-closet and harm LGBT+ people in the States and abroad, and we're seeing a similar conservative push here. A lot of how it's being framed in conservative circles is a very rural versus urban, tradition versus new culture divide. And for a town like Ladysmith to stand up and say, 'No, this is not part of our tradition, it is not part of our culture to hate', I think it's an important keystone."
Another attendee, who asked to remain anonymous, shared a powerful story from their first Pride experience abroad.
“My first Pride parade was in Istanbul, Turkey, where I was volunteering at the only AIDS organization in the entire country — and where a lot of my friends couldn't even participate in Pride because they hadn't come out to their families. It was super dangerous. So coming from that perspective, that was my very first Pride, and I have a sense of, wow, we have that freedom here and we need to really exercise those rights."
Shayla Feniuk, from Campbell River, and Shaun Baty, from Parksville, travelled down the Island to attend.
“For me it’s about connecting the queer community, showing up and supporting,” said Baty.
Feniuk agreed they came to show up and support.
“It’s also about representation," Feniuk said. "I’m in health care so we’re everywhere. We work everywhere. Love is love is love.”
For Daniel Redding, whose drag name is Peaches, Pride was a day of visibility and marked a personal milestone.
Born and raised in Ladysmith, Redding appeared in drag for the first time at this year’s event and spent the afternoon posing for photos with admiring attendees.
“Ladysmith is a very heteronormative town, so it's amazing to have the show out that it has. It shows that we are here and we're queer and we're not going anywhere.”
Whether it was their first Pride or 50th, whether they were a local, newcomer or visitor, those who gathered in Ladysmith this past weekend shared one message clearly: Pride matters here. It’s celebration and resistance. It’s joy and community. And it’s just getting started.
