A Ladysmith resident is looking to create an inclusive and safe community for LGBTQ people in town by creating the first Ladysmith Pride Society.
Kezia Cloke founded the society this month after seeing Ladysmith’s growing LGBTQ community, a community she didn’t have when she was in high school almost a decade earlier. She saw Pride organizations in surrounding communities like Nanaimo, and thought Ladysmith should have one as the town continues to grow.
“When I was in high school, there really was no queer community here, and I was really surprised when I moved back the queer community had grown so much and there’s so many more queer people that are looking for a place to call home here,” she said.
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Next year, she hopes to hold Ladysmith’s first Pride parade and hopes to have a youth outreach program and a youth ambassador to represent the secondary school.
She said she’s been handing out flyers to local businesses, and residents seem excited at the prospect of a new Pride society.
Despite the positive reception so far, she said she’s ready to face the challenges that may come with heading the society, saying a big obstacle she’s expecting to face is anti-transgender and anti-drag queen rhetoric.
“I can anticipate some push-back or some people that won’t like it, but the first Pride parade was a protest … Pride is a protest,” she said. “I really don’t mind the slack that we’ve gotten and what I can anticipate in the future because it comes from a place of hatred, and I’m coming from a place of love and acceptance.”
Currently she’s looking for board members and volunteers for next year’s events and a space for board meetings in town. More information will be posted at www.ladysmithpridesociety.com in the future.
READ ALSO: Ladysmith raises Pride flag to celebrate town’s LGBTQ community
bailey.seymour@nanaimobulletin.com
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