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First annual Pride Day coming to Port Hardy in August

Pride contributes to a more inclusive and safe community for LGBTQ+ identifying individuals.
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THOMAS KERVIN PHOTO Port Hardy Mayor Dennis Dugas drafted a proclamation to hold the first annual Pride Day in Port Hardy on Aug. 17.

Port Hardy will be holding it’s first annual Pride Day this summer.

At the District of Port Hardy’s regular council meeting on May 13, a proclamation from Port Hardy Mayor Dennis Dugas to hold a Pride Day on Aug. 17 was listed on the agenda for council to vote on.

The proclamation was listed as follows:

Whereas; Pride celebrations contribute to a more inclusive and safe community for LGBTQ+ identifying individuals.

Whereas; Port Hardy Pride exists to foster safety and inclusion for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Trans/Gender Non-Conforming, Two-Spirit and other GSM identifying people in Port Hardy through events, education and advocacy.

Whereas; LGBTQ+ individuals contribute significantly to the economic and social development of the District of Port Hardy and the broader Mount Waddington Region.

Whereas; the pride flag exists as a universal symbol of the diversity and vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community and shall be raised at the Municipal office on Pride Day to respect and honour Port Hardy’s LGBTQ+ community.

Whereas; Indigenous cultures locally and across Canada have historically recognized and respected a breadth of gender and sexual identities which colonization attempted to restrict and destroy. Respect and appreciation for Two-Spirit people is considered an act of reconciliation. I, Dennis Dugas, Mayor of the District of Port Hardy, do hereby proclaim August 17, 2019 as the first annual Port Hardy Pride Day and encourage all members of the community to take note of, support and participate in this celebration.

Council put it to a vote, and it was agreed that once the proclamation was edited for spelling and grammar, it would pass and come into effect.


@NIGazette
editor@northislandgazette.com

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Tyson Whitney

About the Author: Tyson Whitney

I have been working in the community newspaper business for nearly a decade, all of those years with Black Press Media.
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