Hamilton·Video

Hamilton raises Pride flag amid somber thoughts of Orlando victims

The City of Hamilton kicks off its Pride week celebrations by raising the Pride flag at city hall at noon on Monday.

'You mourn for the dead, and then you fight like hell for the living'

Samantha Craggs · CBC News · Posted: Jun 13, 2016 11:21 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 13, 2016

Thoughts on Orlando at the Hamilton Pride flag raising

8 years ago

1:09

Thoughts on Orlando at the Hamilton Pride flag raising

There was anger and sadness after the mass murder of 50 people in an Orlando gay club this weekend. But overall, Hamilton's ceremony raising the LGBTQ and transgender pride flags Monday was a celebration.

The Orlando murders were "a horrific attack that took 50 members of our family," said Marlon Picken, a member of the city's LGBTQ advisory committee.

You mourn for the dead, and then you fight like hell for the living.- Marlon Picken, member of the city's LGBTQ advisory committee

But Picken told the crowd of more than 300 that it's a reminder that the fight isn't over, and it's time to hold governments accountable.

"You mourn for the dead, and then you fight like hell for the living," he said.

Jill Davies, far right, helps raise the transgender pride flag at Hamilton city hall on Monday. Davies was at the first Hamilton Pride flag raising in 1995, when 20 people attended. This is the first year the city is flying a transgender pride flag. From left: Marlon Picken from the city's LGBTQ advisory committee; Mr. Pride Matthew DeSousa; Coun. Aidan Johnson, who is Hamilton's first openly gay member of city council; Mayor Fred Eisenberger; Coun. Jason Farr; Tasha Stevens, Empress XXI of the Imperial Court of the Waterfall Empire; Coun. Matthew Green, Davies. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

Emily Groom, owner of the Steel Lounge, urged people to call the Orlando incident "what it is. It's a hate crime."

People ask why we still need a parade. They ask why we need to gather, why we need queer spaces … This is exactly why.- Emily Groom

But it's also a reminder of why Pride is necessary.

"People ask why we still need a parade. They ask why we need to gather, why we need queer spaces … This is exactly why."

Aidan Johnson, a Ward 1 councillor and Hamilton's first openly gay member of city council, said the crowd was "here to grieve."

More than 300 people came to a ceremony at Hamilton city hall for the flag raising. From left: Mr. Pride Matthew DeSousa; Tasha Stevens, Empress of Hamilton; Mayor Fred Eisenberger; Aidan Johnson, Hamilton city council's first openly gay councillor; Jill Davies, transgender advocate who attended the first Hamilton Pride in 1995, and Monique Taylor, Hamilton Mountain MPP. (Samantha Craggs/CBC)

"We are here to feel sadness and we are here to feel anger," he said. But "pride is a time of joy. Pride is a time of love…It's a holiday of all that we've accomplished.

So "let's unfurl this flag and have a kick ass celebration."

The event happened in the city hall forecourt. For the first time, the city raised the transgender pride flag too.

Transgender discrimination, said Johnson, is "the new frontier of bigotry."

Hamilton Pride organizers are holding Pride at the Pier on Saturday from 12 noon to 8 p.m. The city is contributing $7,500 to the event.