Duelling rallies take over both ends of new Rainbow crosswalk

Groups of people with two very different points of view gathered Saturday afternoon at opposite ends of the Pride crosswalk at the corner of Bay and Spring Streets.

Approximately 40 people from the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community, holding signs with slogans occupied the sidewalk on the southeast corner of the intersection while a smaller group, mostly evangelical Christians opposed to 2SLGBTQIA+ teaching in schools, gathered on the southwest corner.

The 2SLGBTQIA+ group was encouraged by local labour union representatives in attendance.

The gathering took place on the second last day of Pride Month.

“The purpose for being here today is to stand up against the rising tide of hate against the Rainbow community. It’s rising all over Canada,” Amanda Zuke, Sault Pride chair, told SooToday.

“They’re calling us groomers," Zuke continued. "I’ve seen the drag queens doing story time called pedophiles. They accuse us of trying to turn people to being queer. It’s online."

The group of mostly Christians held up signs that proclaimed "Pride Goeth Before Destruction" and "God is Not the Author of Confusion."

Their spokesman, Tim Coderre, had been promoting today's "freedom rally" throughout the week on social media, writing on his Facebook page that "doing nothing only grants them space to entrench their amoral conduct, violate laws and subject future generations to evil."

"LET THE FIREWORKS RING," he wrote.

Coderre told SooToday his group is not promoting hate.

“We’re Bible believers and we also believe in the Bill of Rights," he said. "They have the right to assemble. They have rights to their opinion and freedom of speech the same as we do.”

“Where we draw the line is that there are laws in place to protect our children. We’re here to protect children. These Pride flags are hanging from our public schools. That’s no place to be hanging a trans flag,” Coderre said.

He accused the 2SLGBTQIA+ community of "planting thoughts in children's heads."

"There’s no animosity here on a personal level," he said. "This is not adult to adult. This is about adults wanting to protect our kids under the laws that are on the books."

It was largely a peaceful protest on both sides of the street. However, a video clip shared with SooToday after this article was originally published does show one heated altercation as a member of Coderre's group crossed the street toward the Pride supporters.

Two plainclothes police officers intervened and walked with the man to a nearby parking lot.

Zuke has spent years standing up to hate and misinformation directed at the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and she says a day like this is exactly why Pride Month is so important.

“We are who we are," she said. "That requires that we be accepted as we are. We’re not obligated to pretend to be otherwise.”