This Friday (May 25th) and Saturday (May 26th) in Smithers, Pride Day will be taking the town by storm.
Smithers Secondary School will host Pride Day tomorrow during their lunch-hour, and Saturday there will be a community event hosted at the Rainbow Crosswalk on Main Street.
Smithers Secondary Teacher Sponsor for the Gender Sexuality Alliance and L-G-B-T-Q Group, Perry Rath, explains the importance of hosting these events in the community.
“Times are changing and we now live in a world that is all about inclusivity. It’s crucial to host these events because it shows people that their community supports them. Celebrating lives and inclusivity is what Pride Day is really all about.”
Rath also wanted to stress the importance of allies to these events.
“Back in my day, kids felt alone and that’s not how it should be. I’m an ally to the cause because it allows people to know they’re not alone. Nobody deserves to be discriminated against and when push comes to shove, it’s nice knowing you have a friend or ally in your corner. Whether you are young or old, you deserve to be treated with the same level of human decency, no matter what your sexual preference is or how you identify.”
Rath wants to see this movement become a part of Smithers identity and says forward progression is key.
“When people think of progressional movements, they always attribute them to large cities or municipalities, and that isn’t always the case. Smithers is a great community and can have a positive impact on this movement. There is a wide range of diversity here and I want to continue seeing that growth in the future.”
Rath says these Pride Day events are open to the entirety of the public and they welcome any support or questions on the progressional movement.