• Pride celebrations underway in CBRM,
SYDNEY — Pride Cape Breton officially kicked off a week of celebrations Friday with the hoisting of the Rainbow flag over the civic centre in Sydney.
“This is more than just a week of rainbows,” said Amy Macneil, co-chair of this year’s event.
“It’s about love and being proud,” she said, adding this year’s celebration takes on a new form in a time of global pandemic.
Macneil made her remarks during the flag raising ceremony that was attended by a strong representation of police and firefighters along with the island’s two MPS, several MLAS, a host of regional councillors and Mayor Cecil Clarke, the only openly gay civic leader in Cape Breton.
“No pandemic is going to hold us back from celebrating Pride in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality,” said Clarke, in addressing the gathering.
In order to comply with the state of emergency in Nova Scotia, implemented as part of the strategy to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, some events have been cancelled while others have been moved online.
A scheduled of events can be found on the Pride Cape Breton homepage.
While Macneil acknowledged that the push by
members of LGTBQIA2S+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-spirit) for respect and equal rights has
achieved great success, there continues to be a lot more to be done.
In addition, Macneil said the community stands firmly with the Black Lives Matter
movement.
“Black lives matter. They always have and always will. We need to hear more Black and queer voices to help eliminate racism,” she said.