Need a hug for Pride? This mom is on it, and she's bringing friends
Cindy Grant is organizing other parents together to offer hugs on the sidelines of the St. John's Pride parade
Cindy Grant won't be able to give her daughter Jade Hoysradt a hug during St. John's Pride in July — the 21-year-old will be in Churchill Falls, where she works as a firefighter.
But that doesn't mean Grant won't be hugging anybody during the parade on July 14. She's organizing mothers, fathers and other supporters to stand on the parade sidelines and offer hugs to anybody who wants one, through her Facebook group Free Mom/Dad Hugs NL.
Inspired by an article about a similar group, and encouraged by her daughter, Grant wants to offer the support she gave Hoysradt to members of the local LGBTQ community whose families might not have reacted the same way Grant did when Hoyradt told her mother she was gay.
"I was absolutely thrilled and delighted that she could be who she was, and not have to be in fear of it," Grant said.
"It amazes me how many loved ones are being separated from their families and are being disowned when they're coming out."
Her mother's love and support at that moment was life-changing, Hoysradt said, and she's proud that her mother wants to offer it to other people during Pride.
"Unfortunately, there are so many people out there who don't have that support," Hoysradt said.
"Everyone needs a hug at some point. Everyone needs to be accepted."
'I was just so proud of her'
Hoysradt said she realized she was gay when she was in Grade 7 but kept it to herself for years. Her mother had never given her any indication that she would be unsupportive, she said, but she knew some parents weren't.
"You hear stories and, you know, there's always that fear that you're not going to be accepted."
Meanwhile, Grant had also realized her daughter was gay, but didn't want to pressure her to tell her before she was ready. Wanting to encourage the conversation, and worried that her daughter was unhappy, she asked Hoysradt when she was in her senior year of high school — and her daughter, welling up, told her the truth.
"I went right to her bedside and I hugged her," Grant said, "and I was just so proud of her."
Hoysradt says she felt a weight lifted off her when she was able to share that part of her life with her mother, to whom she had always been close. Knowing that her mother was supportive and happy for her, and able to share an important part of her life with her, only made their relationship stronger, she said.
"I'm not hiding in my room anymore, you know?," Hoysradt said. "I'm me."
Support from Mount Pearl
Mother and daughter won't be able to be together during St. John's Pride because of Hoysradt's work commitments, but Grant says she's excited to share that parental support with strangers.
Her friend Steve Kent, a former MHA and current chief administrative officer of Mount Pearl, is helping out, she said, and the city is donating up to $500 for shirts that Grant and the other parents can wear at Pride to ensure they're visible.
She hopes other local businesses will get involved to provide more shirts, and perhaps some signage, to make sure everyone knows that hugs are on offer to anybody who wants them.
It's nothing to do with making a profit, Grant said. "This is all about raising awareness."
And though Hoysradt will be hundreds of kilometres away while her mother is attending her first Pride event, she's thrilled to know Grant will be there to support other people.
"It's honestly so amazing that this has taken off, and that I can say that my mother is behind it, and that she is wanting to go there and give other people hugs and show her support for this event," Hoysradt said.
"I can't say it enough how much I love her."
With files from the St. John's Morning Show