As uncertainty looms in Halifax, Nova Scotia town to host first-ever Pride parade

With uncertainty looming over Halifax's Pride parade this year, smaller communities in Nova Scotia are stepping up and opening their doors during what some say is a pivotal time for LGBTQ rights.

Lunenburg County Pride is hosting the first-ever Pride parade in Bridgewater on the province's South Shore on Sunday.

The parade will be followed by two after parties and a week of events for all ages, including a senior social, flag raising, drag queen story time, comedy night, movie night, dog show, and drag show and dance.

Lunenburg County Pride chair Steve Ellis said the parade has about 40 entries and will likely last about an hour.

With the Halifax Pride parade up in the air, he said organizers of the Bridgewater parade are encouraging people to make the roughly one-hour trek to the South Shore event.

"When things started to change with Halifax Pride, we thought it was an opportunity to give people from the city a place to go to celebrate Pride in case there's no parade there or in addition to it," Ellis said.

The Halifax Pride parade is slated to take place on July 23, yet a lack of communication from parade organizers and the abrupt cancellation of a community information meeting last week has cast doubt on whether it will go ahead.

Halifax Pride organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

The uncertainty in Halifax comes as Pride organizations in Canada face increasing threats both online and in person.

Anti-LGBTQ protesters have come out to oppose events such as child-friendly drag performances -- including in Kentville, N.S.

It's put security top of mind for Pride organizers across the country, with a heavy police presence becoming increasingly common at parades.

The northern Ontario city of Timmins budgeted for security this year -- a first in the parade's decade-long history.

Lunenburg County Pride has been working closely with local police and the town to ensure the safety of all parade organizers, participants and attendees, Ellis said.

"We are cognizant that some people within our community view that as controversial given that some Pride parades have asked police not to attend," he said. "But for us, this is our first parade. We're in a rural area. We know the climate that we're currently in and we wanted to have that protection."

Lunenburg County Pride was founded in 2016 and has added new events each year, including this year's parade.

Meanwhile, Pride Cape Breton Society is still accepting submissions for its Pride parade scheduled for Aug. 5.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2023.