Pride Month is a time to celebrate the progress we have made and recognize the hardship that the 2SLGBTQI+ community has undergone and is still battling.
Did you know?
48% of young Canadians who told their peers their sexual orientation reported experiencing homophobic behavior, including bullying, physical assault, and strong language. (Monash University, 2020)
262 According to data released by Statistics Canada, police forces reported 262 hate crimes targeting sexual orientation in 2019, more than half of which were classified as violent.
Although, Pride month is just one month out of a full year, it is a time to reflect on what we have been doing and what can we still do to help the cause and make everyone feel safe to be themselves.
On May 17th, CFB Kingston commemorated the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia by raising the Pride Flag at the McNaughton Gate and viewing a screening of “The Fruit Machine”, a documentary about Canada’s policy of surveillance and interrogation, where from the late 1950s through the early 1990s, federal employees and Canadian Armed Forces members, suspected of being homosexual, were interrogated, threatened, manipulated, and dismissed from their careers due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Many suffered psychological effects. Some took their own lives. It was one of the largest bullying campaigns in Canada’s history.
When talking about The Fruit Machine, Maj Hendersson-Miville, co-chair of the Defense Team Pride Advisory Organization says: “I am thankful to have been born 15years later. This could have been me. Documentaries like this one show the contrast from then and now, we’ve come a very long way, from an organization and people.”
Tanya Grodzinski, guest speaker, Associate Professor Emerita and Chair of the RMC Cultural Evolution Steering Committee shares an optimistic but cautious view on progress so far made: “Yes we’ve come a long way, but recent developments around the world, including in Canada, demonstrate that we have to be vigilant in the preservation of human rights and whether serving domestically or abroad, we must strive to maintain the Canada that we want.”
With this year’s theme being “Together Always: United in Diversity”, we are reminded of allyship. Being an ally is to listen, to share a common goal, a goal of equity, respect, and dignity for all.
