Surrey to raise rainbow flag at City Hall for Pride Month in historic 1st
Cities across Metro Vancouver are raising rainbow flags in solidarity with LGBTQ2S+ communities as June 1 marks the official start of Pride Month—with one city joining in on the annual tradition for the first time ever.
This June marks the first time the Pride flag will be raised outside City Hall in Surrey, though the city has had a pride organization for 24 years.
The president of Surrey Pride Society joined CTV Morning Live on Thursday to talk about the significance of the moment.
“As the second largest city in the province it shows diversity, inclusion and acceptance,” Mooney said, adding the symbolic gesture carries economic benefits as well.
“It will give the perspective that the City of Surrey is open to rainbow community businesses being in operation,” he explained.
Mooney has been an active member of Surrey’s “rainbow” community since Valentine’s Day 1998, when he helped organize the city’s first gay dance.
Pride celebrations began as a protest for equal rights—and this dance was no different.
The event was organized as a fundraiser to help fight attempts by the Surrey School Board to ban books that depicted same-sex parented families, which was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court of Canada.
The dance planted the seeds for Surrey Pride Society.
“You know, 24 years later you’d think there would be a community centre, a gay bar or whatever, but we’re hoping. We’re working with partners to see if we can achieve that in the next two or three years,” said Mooney.
While he can’t explain exactly why it’s taken so long to have a rainbow flag raised for Pride month in Surrey, Mooney suspects the city’s previous leaders played a large role.
“For the last 15 years or so, we’ve had a very conservative social government and I don’t think that certain people wanted to embrace our community on that level because of the negative feedback they may have received,” said Mooney.
In 2019, when Surrey RCMP raised the rainbow flag in honour of Pride month for the first time, the move was met an angry demonstration outside the detachment’s headquarters.
Four years later, the theme of Surrey’s Pride celebration is “Stronger Together.”
“The reason that theme was chosen was because of all of the hate that’s been occurring in the states and all of the protests that have been occurring across the province,” Mooney explained.
“Marginalized communities, regardless of who they are, become targets. Stronger together means that if every marginalized community comes together, we have more strength, we have more power and we have more diversity.
The month long celebration will culminate with a festival in front of City Hall on June 24.
When asked about the date of the flag raising ceremony, the city said plans are still in the works.
“The City of Surrey is working with Surrey Pride Society on raising the Pride flag as an act of celebration and acceptance this month. More information on this event is forthcoming,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.
“Surrey is a city for everyone. Pride Month is an opportunity to demonstrate that we are inclusive and accepting,” reads the statement.
More information on the festivities can be found online at surreypride.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel gave U.S. last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister says at G7
The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers on Friday that it received 'last minute' information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, but didn't participate in the apparent attack, officials said.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.