This week sees both a Pride flag raising event at Langley City hall and a pride event at KPU, organized by a youth 2SLGBTQIA+ organization called Friends of Dorothy. We’ll also see the first seniors pride event at the Langley Seniors Resource Society Centre.
Not that long ago, it was unthinkable that there would be not just 2SLGBTQIA+ pride events in Langley, but that folks in their golden years would be organizing and participating in them.
Yet, now we have family-friendly drag events at the seniors centre, and the number of people who will consider attending will far outnumber those who grumble and write angry comments on social media.
Langley was seen as a pretty conservative community, a perception that had some truth to it, even if it was never the whole story.
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But Langley is changing, B.C. is changing, and Canada is changing. It’s not just 2SLGBTQIA+ pride events, it’s about inclusivity in general. Whether multiculturalism, or awareness of the place of seniors or people with disabilities in our communities, we recognize that our communities are not monolithic. Langley has people from every walk of life, economic group, and background.
The goal of events like Pride Week, or the many national celebrations we have throughout the year, or Langley Pos-Abilities events, is not to divide people into groups.
In the end, it’s to remind us that what makes us different is less important than what we share, and who we are as individuals.
As every group has fought for its civil rights through the years, and will continue to struggle for them in the future, what they want is the same thing everyone wants – a good life, and good opportunities, in a community that treats everyone with dignity.
There may be some distance to go on inclusivity in our community but we’ve made some great strides in the last half century.
– M.C.