Pride month begins with advancements and controversy
Several organizations across London honoured the start of Pride month by hoisting either the Pride or Progress Pride flag.
For the first time, King’s University College lifted the Progress Pride flag to honour Pride Month.
“We want it to be inclusive, we want it to be diverse, and we want to send the message, which we believe the flag does, sends the message that everyone is welcome here at King's,” says Principal David Malloy.
The Thames Valley School Board, OPP headquarters and London Police Service (LPS) also raised the Progress Pride flag Tuesday. The latter did so after announcing Monday that London Pride's board of directors had welcomed LPS to participate in this year’s virtual festivities.
LPS Chief Steve Williams says that decision came after discussions with the board, “We just had conversations really, developing some understanding and some trust, which underpins everything we do.”
London police were asked by Pride in 2020 not to fly the flag, as the group stood with Black Lives Matter (BLM) in their call for systematic change to policing.
BLM representatives were disappointed with the reversal of that decision.
“It’s quite disrespectful to the communities that have come forward and said, ‘We have an issue here, we need to solve it, we need to talk through it, we need work through it,’ and none of that has...I\t’s only been a year, none of that has been done yet,” says Alexandra Kane.
Williams however defends the decision to participate, “I know that everybody is not on board with our participation, but I also know that many are, and this is part of an ongoing effort to forge relationships with communities that may be marginalized, that may feel like they’ve been unfairly treated by police in the past -- and they may have been indeed.”
Kane says police could have used the opportunity to do something tangible to make inroads with those communities.
“Why don’t we host a talk? Why don’t we host a town hall? Why don’t we hear from people and see what’s good? You don’t need to be in a parade, and you’re just making people angry, and that does nothing. That does nothing, it changes nothing.”
CTV News London made several attempts to contact the president of Pride London to discuss the decision to allow London police to participate and did not receive a response.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.