Theo Wouters was happy to see just how much points had actually altered in Pointe-Claire, Que., as locals collected for the town’s very first Pride occasion Saturday.
“In the past, my husband and I, we had about 10 years of harassment in Pointe-Claire and this is an absolutely wonderful initiative to make people aware that we exist,” he claimed.
People of every ages collected at Edgewater Park to consult with craftsmens, neighborhood companies and enjoy various programs and panels discussing the 2SLGBTQ+ experience in the suburban area on Montreal’s West Island.
“The West Island has never really had many public 2SLGBTQIA+ events,” states David Hawkins, the executive supervisor of the West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre and the company behind the occasion.
David Hawkins is the executive supervisor of the West Island LGBTQ2+Centre (John Ngala/ CBC)
The last time there was a celebration of this kind in the town remained in 2001, he states, when hundreds of individuals required to the roads to sustain Wouters and his currently late hubby Roger Thibault that had actually been experiencing harassment from neighbors and past.
“Young people came from all over the Pointe-Claire area. They threw fire on our house, breaking the windows of the car, we had all kinds of things done to us and we said, ‘No, this is not what we accept,’ and we started to fight back,” Wouters remembers.
The set took place to end up being the initial same-sex pair to become part of a civil union in Quebec the list below year. Thibault died in August 2023.
“I continue, in memory of Roger,” states Wouters.
Pride beyond the huge city
Hawkins states the objective of Saturday’s occasion was to communicate the message that Pointe-Claire is a united neighborhood.
“We support each other, we’re here to uplift each other, we’re here to bring visibility to each other and we’re here to stand side by side,” he claimed.
For him, the purpose was to supply a room more detailed to home for the West Island’s 2SLGBTQ+ neighborhood than what Fiert é Montr éal’s shows could use.
“Anyone who’s ever used the public transit system knows that it’s not necessarily an efficient way to get around,” he claimed. “There are a lot of people who don’t necessarily get to access Pride in Montreal every year.”
The West Island Pride is planned to enhance Montreal Pride, therefore its September day, he states.
Sarah McGarr, right, states it was necessary for her and her boy, that has 2 mothers, to really feel stood for withinMontreal’s West Island (John Ngala/ CBC)
Nathalie Djandji brought her 2 youngsters to the occasion Saturday.
“In the West Island, we’re not as much in contact with other realities so I think it’s important to bring them to these kinds of events,” she claimed. “It’s important just to be used to the fact that people are different. There are all kinds of families.”
Shannon McGarr states that really feeling stood for in her neighborhood is extremely crucial. She and her companion are moms to their boy Winston, whom they offered the occasion.
“Even though my son is very proud to have the family he has, I think it’s really important and nice for him to be able to experience families that look like ours,” claimed McGarr.
Hawkins is really hoping Saturday’s Pride occasion ends up being the initial of numerous. He states the company intends to make it a yearly occasion or at the very least hold it on a regular basis.
