Emo Says No Again To Pride Month

Emo Township Council has denied a request to reconsider their decision, made two weeks ago, to not declare June as Pride Month.

Borderland Pride made the request, and presented a petition containing over 1,500 names in support.

Referring to Roberts Rules of Order, it was denied as none of those who rejected the initial motion on May 12 wished to bring it back to the floor.

The initial vote was defeated three-two, with Mayor Harold McQuaker and Councillors Harold Boven and Warren Toles voting against.

Mayor McQuaker says that he disputes claims of discrimination by the decision.

“I don’t think anybody’s being discriminated against here,” says mcQuaker, “…I just feel that the majority rules and that’s the way it is.”

Councillor Lincoln Dunn, one of the two to support the resolution, expressed his disappointment in the decision.

“By refusing to support Pride month, we are legitimizing the bigoted homophobes in our community who, based on some of the comments I’ve seen on social media, might actually think that these kind of behaviours and actions are okay.”

Names on the petition from Borderland Pride were put into question, with McQuaker noting it contained just 29 names of people who live in Emo and the immediate surrounding area. Borderland Pride says it was 72, with 405 from across the Rainy River district.

Toles says that he heard from about fifty residents since the last meeting who supported the council’s decision to reject the resolution.

That prompted a response from Dunn who wondered if the names on the petition mattered.

“So the 29 names that were on that petition, they don’t matter? It’s already clear that the LGBTQ2 kids in our community, they don’t matter. So, are you saying those 29 don’t matter either? It’s only those who voted for you matter?”

Toles responded by saying that wasn’t correct.

“Everybody matters and everybody is included. I never ever once, you put words in my mouth, you put words in Harold’s (McQuaker) mouth, you put words in Harold Boven’s mouth and those are not true words. We do accept them. Everybody is to be treated as equal and not discriminated against.”

In response to the decision, Borderland Pride is expressing its disappointment, and group co-chair Doug Judson says they’ve spoken with an eminent Canadian human rights lawyer to determine next steps.

Web copy by Stuart Walter.