Monday marked the first-ever official pride flag raising ceremony within the municipality of Lambton Shores – and they started with not just one location, but two.
The driving force behind the act of solidarity stems from a partnership between The North Lambton Community Health Centre (NLCHC) and DiversityEd.
“We thought it was time that we support our partners, DiversityEd,” said Kathy Bresett, executive director of the NLCHC.
“The [NLCHC] made a request to [Lambton Shores] council to see if they'd be interested in partnering together to do a little ceremony and they were all on board, so that was awesome,” Bressett said. “They're a pretty inclusive community, Lambton Shores.”
The first pride flag was raised at 10 a.m. Monday morning, surrounded by a show of support by Mayor Doug Cook and deputy mayor Dan Sageman as well many council members and staff at The Lambton Shores municipal office.
The second pride flag was raised at noon at the Thedford Legacy Recreation Centre surrounded by about 30 people. A local community member spoke about what it meant to her to see the pride flag raised in her own community.
“Particularly, for the youth in the community it's important for them to see that there is adult support for people to be able to belong and participate in their community,” Bresett said. [“Lambton shores] were just showcasing it's important to give all residents a sense of belonging and inclusivity into the community.”
Joining the city of Sarnia, Lambton Shores is now the second of 11 municipalities within Lambton County that officially host pride flag raising ceremonies.
“Next year, I'm sure there'll be more communities participating,” Bresett added. “The more visibility there is with different communities is good for everyone, right?”