PORT HAWKESBURY - Organizers with this Cape Breton town's first full-scale Pride gathering and march were overwhelmed - and in some cases, moved to tears - by the attendance and enthusiasm shown at the June 29 event.

Despite the rain that doused part of the Strait Area Pride Rally, an estimated 300 people came to Port Hawkesbury from communities as diverse as Isle Madame, St. Peter's, Mabou, Sydney, Antigonish, New Glasgow and Truro. A strong indigenous presence also filled the rally site just outside the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, with representation from Potlotek, Waycobah and Wagmatcook First Nations on hand to celebrate the "Two Spirit" concept that has taken root among Canada's aboriginal communities for many years.

Port Hawkesbury LGBTQI activist Taylor Linloff, who received municipal support to stage the event only eight days before its actual occurrence, fought back tears as she recounted the history of the modern Pride movement, including New York City's Stonewall Riots, which began 51 years and one day before the historic night in Port Hawkesbury.

"I'm not doing this for me," Linloff declared, telling the assembled crowd that she wanted to give a voice to local LGBTQI members who had felt disenfranchised or targeted within their Strait area communities.

"Heck, I'm even doing this for the 'grandmere' in West Arichat, sitting at home and playing TV bingo and trying to figure out how to tell her grandchildren that she's a lesbian."

The evening's guest speakers included Waycobah First Nation Chief Rod Googoo and his son Steven Michael Googoo, a Waycobah band councillor, with both men offering support to LGBTQI family members. Bryson Syliboy, a former resident of Shubenacadie First Nation now living in Port Hawkesbury, delivered an official land acknowledgement and also explained the "Two Spirit" concept to those in attendance. 

Also addressing the Strait Area Pride Rally were Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway and Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, who presided over the raising of the Pride Flag outside the Civic Centre on June 5 and then took to social media to respond to a town resident that had complained about the flag's presence. Her mid-June posts included a photo of a smiling mayor, wearing her Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) pin featuring the Pride colours. 

Organizers are already preparing for the second annual Strait Area Pride Rally, with the possibility that the June 2021 event could expand beyond one night into a full week's worth of activities.