Wednesday, February 12th, 2025

Clearview Township council has decided once again not to fly the pride flag.

The decision was made in response to a request from Fierté Simcoe Pride to proclaim July 28 to August 6 Pride Week in the township.

Fierté Simcoe Pride, a not-for-profit that organizes an annual Pride festival and activities for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans (LGBT), and allied community of Simcoe County, has been making the request of municipalities in the county, hoping for a proclamation and a flag raising ceremony in support of the LGBT community.

“This recognition would be a valued recognition of the diversity of our community, honouring the lives and contributions of people of all gender and sexual diversities throughout the County. This year’s theme “Celebrate:” will specially mark our fifth annual Pride, as well as the various accomplishments our community has to celebrate locally, nationally, and internationally,” write Fierté Simcoe Pride in its request.

The request was considered by council on June 13, the day after a gunman killed 49 people and wounded another 53 at a gay nightclub in Orlando. The whole world was talking about the shooting that week but it was not mentioned during the discussion.

In a split vote, Clearview did support the proclamation but passed on the flag raising and an offer by Fierté Simcoe Pride to donate an indoor flagpole, since lack of pole space has been a reason for not flying the rainbow flag at town hall in Stayner.

A similar discussion took place in January 2015 when a request to fly the Pride flag ended up on the agenda. Council made an exception to the rule in 2014 and agreed to fly the flag, despite lack of pole space and a 1996 policy that states council would not entertain any requests for proclamations and flag-raisings.

As a result, earlier this year, council agreed to revisit that policy and decided to have all requests for proclamations and flag raising come to council for decisions on a case-by-case basis.

Taking a suggestion from Doug Measures, council, agreed to proclaim July 28 to August 6 Pride Week and to use the township’s television monitors to display an image of a flag. The image will be broadcast at all township facilities that have a monitor.

Also this week, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders said police regret the 1981 raid at a Toronto bathhouse and a 2000 raid of a women’s bathhouse. The mass arrests in 1981 are said to have galvanized the gay community and were the impetus for celebrating Pride.

Given the timing of the request and an overwhelming and highly visible show of support for the LGBT community it would have been classy for council to agree to the request of Fierté Simcoe Pride, as tabled, which is what Thom Paterson proposed when he initiated the discussion on the matter. Council agreed to weigh each request on its own merit and this month, the request for a flag raising was certainly not lacking in merit.

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