NIPIGON — Nipigon leadership came together on Thursday to officially mark the start of Pride Month with a flag raising.
During Nipigon Council’s last meeting on May 16, council proclaimed that the township would recognize June as Pride Month and Mayor Suzanne Kukko said that it was important for her and the rest of the council to raise the flag and officially declare Pride Month started.
“It's really important because it's not just a token flag that we're just raising and forgetting about,” she said.”
“To us and to our council, it's an important symbol that we are going to be helping to move, in the next four years, move Nipigon forward and help Nipigon in to be even more understanding and even more welcoming to the 2SLGBTQ.”
Many 2SLGBTQIA+ people who live in small towns can find it difficult to openly express their gender and sexual identity, and Kukko said that she hopes that the township’s show of support can help them feel safe and supported by the community.
“I hope this helps them to understand that they do have allies in the community and allies that are the leadership in our town that we are allies with, with those folks, and I just hope that it makes them more comfortable to come out as they wish,” she said.
“Some people are not flag waving folks and not, out and proud, as they say, and some of them just like to keep that private and you know, it's no one else's business but their own who they love and how they want to do that. So I think it's important that people understand that they can come out and be welcomed as they wish.”
While the township doesn’t have any official events planned yet for the rest of Pride Month, Kukko is encouraging residents to step forward and “be a champion” to help the town support 2SLGBTQIA+ residents.
“We do need those champions in the community for 2SLGBTQ+, not, just rights, but I mean welcoming and advocacy, that kind of thing and an advocacy group would be great, to come to council once a month to let us know what we can do to assist that community in in feeling more welcome and being included,” she said.
“We don't always know how to include those folks so it it helps us to understand how they would like to be included from their own community.”
Kukko said that beyond Pride Month, she and the rest of council, are going to be working hard to continue to advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+s community and include them in decision making and events throughout the year.
“I'm just hoping that that will, as we talked about, that will encourage more folks to come out and be proud of who they are and feel comfortable, you know in holding their partner's hand or giving them a peck on the cheek when they're walking downtown Nipigon,” she said.
