Horrific act serves to strengthen

Adversity will only make you stronger. How many times in the struggles people face – minority groups in particular – has that axiom been observed?

An event as horrifying as the shootings last weekend in a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., leaves everyone severely shaken, and at a loss to find any sense in it.

Yet people refuse to be beaten by the outrageous act of the perpetrator – nor by the repressive, intolerance behind that act. Organizers of the upcoming Pride Week celebrations in Pictou County, much to their credit, say the incident strengthens their resolve to be recognized and accepted in the community. Such an attack by no means weakens them.

By all indications, in response to the hideous act, the general public is doing more than offering sympathy to the LGBTQ community. More than we might have imagined a decade ago, greater numbers are rallying around groups that have been traditionally marginalized. People are more ready to recognize and accept differences among individuals. They’re also fed up with the bigotry that targets differences.

One of Pictou County Rainbow Pride 2016 organizers, Thekla Altmann, told The News this week she’s hopeful they’ll see a bigger turnout for the events, scheduled for July 4-9, as a result of the incident.

We’ve had a couple of notorious attacks on gay persons in Nova Scotia in recent years. The issue here is about liberating attitudes and ensuring safe spaces for everyone.

Things are changing – again, think of the oppression a gay person 50 years ago could face – but there is still progress to be made. As noted by Jesiah MacDonald, another of the local Pride Week organizers, many in Pictou County are accepting of members of the LGBTQ community, but others refuse to acknowledge they exist.

And that might well be a typical feeling in small towns: again, paraphrasing MacDonald, a segment of the community assumes these people have moved to Halifax.

Along with a number of other events planned for Pride Week locally, organizers and supporters plan to carry the Rainbow Flag in Westville’s Canada Day parade. They invite others to join them. Altmann also told The News that one reason they haven’t had their own parade during Pride Week is they haven’t had enough people who will walk with them in public.

We can expect that to change too. Feelings of solidarity grew immensely in the past week.