Truro flies pride flag for 1st time to honour Orlando shooting victims

A Nova Scotia town that steadfastly refused to fly the rainbow pride flag has raised that flag to half-mast outside of its town hall for the first time.

And next month, Truro will hold its first Pride Parade. 

The decision to raise the flag in Truro—a community about 100 kilometres north of Halifax—followed the mass killings at a gay nightclub in Orlando on Sunday morning.

"It's a historic day in Truro and it rocks you to the core when you think of what these poor families have had to go through," Coun. Gregory MacArthur said.

"A senseless act of violence. It makes you hug your own kids and family a little more."

'Truro has moved forward'

Truro made national headlines in 2007 when it voted against flying the pride flag. At the time, Mayor Bill Mills said that gays and lesbians already have equal opportunities and work benefits, so he wondered what else they're fighting for.

After the Orlando shootings, the town decided it was time to fly the flag. MacArthur said the move shows the rest of Canada "that Truro has moved forward."

"We're moving forward with respect for everybody. Those days of not doing stuff are behind us," he said.

On Wednesday, it was announced Truro will hold its first Pride Parade on July 16. It will start at 2 p.m. at the tourist bureau and end at the police station, said Al McNutt of the Nothern Aids Connection Society.

MacArthur and a number of other town officials attended a candlelight vigil for the Orlando shooting victims at the Dalhousie campus in neighbouring Bible Hill on Monday night.

The following day, MacArthur received an email from a resident asking if the town was planning to do something.

"We talked to our CAO and we had a flag policy and we said 'Let's get this thing moved forward, let's fly this flag at half-mast today along with our Truro flag,'" said MacArthur.

'Everybody is equal'

The town bought the rainbow flag at a store in Bible Hill. It's smaller than the other flags flying outside town hall, but MacArthur said that was all that was available. It was raised by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. 

"Our staff is there to serve the town of Truro citizens, all citizens. Everybody is equal and that's how we treat them," said MacArthur. 

He said the comments made in 2007 hurt the town's reputation, but that's changing. 

"We want people to make the connection, that they come to Truro and they see a community that welcomes them with open arms," said MacArthur.

Once the pride flag is ready to be taken down, MacArthur said he wants to see it kept in council chambers.