Happy Pride Everyone!

I am often told that members of our LGBT community leave Timmins, and other small towns like this, for larger and more inclusive centers. They leave for the safety of gay villages and established communities. I find this a sad trend. We at Fierté Timmins Pride ask you to stay and make this place better. By staying you can make a difference by just being you. But by leaving, you can never hope to make the changes in the community and make it better.

I ask you to ruffle some feathers in the name of inclusiveness and equality this week. That’s what Pride Week is about. To call out homophobic and transphobic attitudes in your homes and workplaces. Make people aware of what they are saying. Because everyone should have an equal opportunity to feel safe and included. I’m asking you to live your life even in the face of bigotry and hatred. We’ve all felt the sting of discrimination, so we have to fight not just for ourselves but for everyone else.

Let’s celebrate this week not just for ourselves but for those who are too afraid to join us. Let’s celebrate to show them, even for just one week, it’s safe to join us. This is the Fifth Pride Week in Timmins, and it warms my heart seeing more and more faces at our events. I’m excited to see so many people out and proud. Attending Pride is a political act. By standing here we are saying, there is nothing wrong with us, we are not to be avoided. We are proud! We are proud because each of you took that one courageous step this morning and said, “I’ll stand for those who are too scared to join me”. 

There is still work to be done, but real change is possible. Minds open and attitudes shift with time. We just ask you to stay long enough to see that change. We ask you to get involved. Let’s not change who we are. Let’s not hide who we are. Let’s live our lives Acceptionally Proud.

Happy Pride.

Matthieu Villeneuve

Pronouns: he/his/him

President | Fierte Timmins Pride