Cape Breton Pride Festival more popular every year, organizer says

It's time for the 2016 Pride Festival in Cape Breton, where community support has ballooned over the 14 years since the first Pride events were held.

"Because it's a human right to love who you love, it doesn't matter who you are," said Jenn Maher, a supporter of Sydney's Pride Parade.

She and her husband, Shaun, opened Island Chiropractic and Family Wellness last fall. 

Maher said they had planned to enter this year's Pride Parade. "I had this vision of having a whole army of skeletons in the parade because that's what chiropractors are known for, work with the skeletons." 

Being who you are

They didn't get their float ready on time, but still wanted to help. "We figured there was still other ways we could support Pride," said Maher.

They donated gift certificates to a Gay Bingo event. They're also waiving intake fees for the month of August to anyone who makes a $35 donation to Pride Cape Breton, the Ally Centre of Cape Breton or Cape Breton University's Sexual Diversity Centre. 

Maher is one of the more than 30 businesses and individuals sponsors for this week's Pride events. 

"We felt that these organizations are important to Cape Bretoners and important for those who maybe feel that they can't truly be who they were meant to be," said Maher. 

Overwhelmed and proud

Saturday's Pride parade stretched for more than a kilometre, making it the longest yet. And the viewing crowd stood several rows deep along the route. 

"I'm overwhelmed and so proud of the community support," said Madonna Doucette, Pride Cape Breton co-chair.

"It has been such a phenomenal success so far."

Doucette said education helps combat discomfort of being associated with the gay community. 

"As people become more educated and aware of the queer community, their willingness to step up and proclaim their support is becoming stronger and stronger," said Doucette. 

Donations come from many

A bar in downtown Sydney also helped out.

Allure on George offered their location for a post-event party and donated proceeds from the door to Pride Cape Breton. 

Sydney's Chris O'Neil, Allure's talent manager and DJ, is gay.

"For me, growing up when I was closeted, people got bullied, all that stuff," said O'Neil. "Then when I finally came out about six years ago, I started noticing that more and more people started to accept it more."

O'Neil said it's refreshing to see a change in attitudes toward Pride week. 

"It's great to see that it's starting to flourish and turning into something really, really big here and that a lot of people are showing their support here. It makes me happy, makes a lot of people happy."