28 IN LATE APRIL, the municipal council for the Township of Norwich passed a new bylaw that restricts the types of flags that can be flown on township property and lampposts. The original version included language that specifically excluded Progress or Pride flags; however, this language was removed in a last-minute amendment with worries it could trigger a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Pride Month celebrations and the organization of 2SLGBTQ+-specific events, resources, and support groups have historically belonged in Ontario’s cities. But these recent events in Norwich amplify the growing debates in rural, predominantly agricultural municipalities about what Pride should — or in some cases like Norwich — should not look like. This begs the question: Why bother celebrating Pride and hosting 2SLGBTQ+ events in rural agricultural communities? THE RESEARCH SAYS AJ Adams, a rural 2SLGBTQ+advocate, researcher, and event organizer, set out to answer this question himself. Adams is currently the president of Stratford Perth Pride and communications manager for Egale Canada, an 2SLGBTQ+ research and advocacy organization. He conducted a study that consisted of a series of survey questions focused on Rural Pride FOSTERING A WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY Rose Danen STRATFORD FESTIVAL THEATRE, STRATFORD, ONTARIO. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL CHAN PHOTOGRAPHY. determining Pride’s impact in rural Ontario communities. Adams grew up as a closeted gay kid in Kincardine, Ontario, and pulled from his childhood experiences to inspire this study. “Reflecting back, there were no Pride flags, there was no Pride organization, there were no queer people that I could look up to,” says Adams. “I tried to think of what Pride would have meant for me growing up. And seeing lots of rural Pride [events] popping up, including in Kincardine, I was thinking has that made a difference? Is it actually needed, or is Pride really just something for the big cities?” Rural living
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