'Terrified just to exist in my own community': Norwich meeting on Pride flag becomes heated

Tensions are heated in the Oxford County village of Norwich, Ont.

There is fear, anger and division after a town hall meeting Tuesday night to discuss Pride flags, that some say became uncivil.

“There are three of them that are missing, they were gay Pride banners,” said Vic Whitcroft.

The lifelong Norwich resident said he flies his own Pride flag because last month a number of community sanctioned Pride flags were torn down. They have yet to be replaced.

“I think the town has hit an all new low and unfortunately our legacy may be that we are a town of people who are hateful rather than a people who are inclusive,” said Whitcroft.

The LGBTQ2 supporter took in Tuesday’s contentious town hall meeting, which many in attendance said went off the rails. Some LGBTQ2 members and their supporters said they were bullied and subjected to hate-speech, including Sofia Bryant.

“The LGBTQ community got compared to Hitler,” explained Bryant. “Talking about how gay men are responsible for monkeypox. And I think that’s the first time I’ve ever felt terrified just to exist in my own community.”

LGBTQ2 supporter Jennifer Wild said some people were being physically aggressive.

“I had a hard time moving past these people,” she said. “They had kind of congregated around these doors right at the front, kind of where the cars were all parked, and it was hard to get through. It was like they didn’t want to let people through.”

Much of the opposition to the Pride flags is reportedly coming from some members of the Netherlands Reformed Church Community, including one of its elders.

Gareth Tenhove is the provincial appointee to the local police services board, and a secondary principal at Rehoboth Christian School. In public statements and appearances he has made it clear that his community is very much against Pride flags being flown in Norwich.

He turned down an interview request from CTV News, but did express his comments recently in a letter to Norwich Council.

In the letter Tenhove stated, “The progress flag celebrates what is directly contrary to our values, and as a Christian community we are grieved and concerned.”

The letter went on to say “I ask that progress flags not be hung up again.”

In the meantime, Norwich Mayor Larry Martin said he did not personally witness any aggressive behaviour at the meeting, but he admits it was packed with more than 100 people so he couldn’t have seen everything going on.

Martin said it’s been hard to keep the peace.

“The two sides don’t agree, and understandably so, and understandably why, and it’s really wreaking havoc within the village of Norwich itself,” said Martin

As for Vic Whitcroft, he said he’ll continue waving his Pride flag until the town Pride flags are replaced.

“I’d like to see somebody volunteer to come and put them up,” he said.