The Minto Pride group is once again helping Minto and the surrounding community celebrate Pride Month.
Minto Pride organizer Rosie Krul says this year despite the pandemic, the group is still doing whatever they can to safely celebrate Pride and continue educating the public and make them aware of the importance of being an inclusive community.
"If you are in Clifford, Harriston or Palmerston this month, keep an eye out downtown. We did some colourful decorations in the downtowns, and also you'll be able to see that quite a few people have Minto Pride yard signs this year. We've distributed about 70 of those and we have about 30 left."
Krul also says they continue to get great support from the Town of Minto and their council.
"We also have the Pride flag flying all month again at the Town of Minto office. We're so grateful to the Town of Minto for the support we receive through the cultural roundtable and for flying the flag and for doing the decorating. A lot of our funding comes from them, as well, so it's been really great to work with them."
With the pandemic still restricting the ability to have live events, Krul says on the Minto Pride social media channels, they are doing a new educational campaign called Out and Proud.
"So we're going to be posting stories and quotes from local members of the LGBTQ community on what Pride means to them. We're actually still taking submissions for that, too, and it doesn't have to be just Minto. People in Wellington County, Perth County and the surrounding rural regions are more than welcome to email us their story and be featured."
Krul says Minto Pride is continuing to ensure that Minto and the surrounding area is known as a welcoming place for all. She herself contributed and shared her own story for the Out and Proud campaign, and she says for her, Pride is a mixture of celebrating and reflecting.
"Pride for me is always a mixture of celebrating and acknowledgment. So not only celebrating the fact that you have the right to be who you are, but also acknowledging the challenges of the people that came before you and those activists and queer people throughout history that fought so that we could have the rights that we have today."
For more information on Minto Pride or to submit a story for the Out and Proud campaign, or request a yard sign for your lawn or business, email MintoPrideCommittee@gmail.com. Follow Minto Pride on social media here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mintopride/ or here on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mintopride/