Pride flag raised at Town Hall in Antigonish for the first time ever.

Today, I am proud as ever to be the Member of Parliament for Central Nova.

Today, we raised the Pride flag here in New Glasgow. Last week, the Pride flag was raised at Town Hall in Antigonish for the first time ever.

The Pride flag is raised across our country to commemorate the struggles of the LGBTQ2+ community and celebrate the strides the community has made toward garnering acceptance and achieving equality.

However, the fight for equality is not over. Even now, in 2019, countries around the world are passing laws that allow punishment of homosexuality by stoning. Nightclubs are no longer a safe place to dance with loved ones.

Here in Canada, homosexuality was a crime until 1969 and same-sex couples could not marry until 2005. These are only examples of institutional discrimination; other forms of everyday discrimination remain rampant. In fact, in OECD countries with available data, at least 17 million adults identify as LGBTQ2+, and 1/3 of those people have been personally discriminated against because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

The LGBTQ2+ community is closer today than ever before to being safe, accepted, and protected in our society. We must make sure that we do not buy into rhetoric that turns back the clock on the rights of this community. Hating people for things they cannot change is the mark of intolerance and refusing to acknowledge that the diversity of humanity is what makes life interesting is a missed opportunity. The diversity of humanity is what makes our lives wonderful, adventure-filled, and worth living.

This month and always – let’s work to make our communities a place where same-sex couples are not afraid to walk down the street holding hands; flash them a reassuring smile and let them know you’re an ally. We must celebrate love in all its forms and push back against hate and intolerance wherever it arises.