It wasn't always so; the
history of Pride in Halifax had a very modest start some 27 years ago. It’s not
a long time ago, but at the first march some of the participants wore paper
bags over their heads, concerned that their participation might be harmful to
their career or their safety.
In those early years,
politicians occasionally showed up to offer support. Now they all show up to
find support.
This weekend over 100,000 people
will line up to participate in, and watch the parade. When it comes to Pride we
hit way above our weight, with the 4th largest Pride Festival in Canada.
We have come a long way,
and there is still a journey ahead of us.
Just a decade ago I was
elected to Parliament and in the first session of that Parliament, Prime
Minister Martin introduced Bill C-38, The Civil Marriage Act. It was a very
contentious issue at a difficult political time. I was proud to serve on the
special Legislative Committee that was formed to manage the bill through
Parliament. (Keep in mind that we were also managing through a difficult
minority Parliament in which the government could have fallen on a vote of non-confidence.)
Our committee heard a huge
number of speakers on both sides of the Civil Marriage Act and I had numerous
occasions to speak in the House on my support of this legislation. The debate
in Parliament and across the country was heated and my office was inundated
with letters, emails and calls. Some
were very unpleasant.
It is hard to believe how
difficult the issue was at the time. Cabinet ministers left cabinet rather than
support the legislation. An NDP member was stripped of her critic position
because she opposed the legislation. Some Conservatives publicly supported the
legislation including Gerald Keddy of Nova Scotia. And it was a factor when
Belinda Stronach crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party.
I remember saying in
Parliament that I believed in 10 years no one would want to reverse the
decision. In fact, it was a lot less.
Canada was the fourth
country to legalize same sex marriage. Today it is legal in about 20 countries
including the UK, Brazil, France, Spain, South Africa and others. States in the
USA have voted to allow it, and the President of the United States endorsed it
in 2012. Canada played a leading role in the acceptance of same sex marriage in
the world and it is one of my proudest moments from my time in Parliament.
Just as Canada was front
and centre when it was a difficult issue, so were others. TD Bank, under the
leadership of Ed Clark, took a position in favor of supporting same sex
employees when it was seen by some as a radical position that could harm the
business. Mr. Clark was stalwart in ensuring that the principled position
didn't waver, even when the bank might have faced pressure and loss of business
from its position. I have joined Ed and the TD team each of the last two years
during Pride Week celebrations here in Halifax.
Ten years ago some people
suggested I didn't need to be part of Pride festivities. It was said by someone
that my support for equality was well known and I didn't need to be part of the
'radical' stuff. There are still some great people who think that Pride is too
'out there' and 'flamboyant'.
Perhaps that's the whole
point, that after years of being silent and hidden, we now celebrate how far we’ve
come. It is a wonderful time in Halifax where people are exuberant, where we can
celebrate our differences and a middle-aged male Mayor can wear a dress at a
baseball game and have fun.
But we do have a journey
to complete. Two years ago we lost Raymond Taavel and last year Scott Jones was
attacked and permanently injured. Scott,a remarkable man, is the Grand Marshall of this year’s parade.
So as we celebrate gains made, we continue to work toward a more equal society.
With all of the issues and
challenges our society faces, surely we can agree that managing who loves whom
is not one of them.
