I remember being very impressed last year when I saw a booth from the Canadian Armed Forces on Church Street during Pride celebrations. Where I come from, the military is the last place one would find support for gay rights. This year the Armed Forces took it one step further and allowed its members to march in uniform during the parade. The objective was to show that the Canadian Armed Forces was an equal-opportunities employer, where people can be “proud of who they are” as well as what they do. Good for them.
More info here.
I recommend reading the comments on the CBC website, linked above. A couple rednecks came out of the woodworks to share their disgust and it was interesting to see so many people – gay and straight; many members of the Armed Forces – defend the military’s effort to show their inclusiveness. One reader commented: “Makes me proud to be Canadian – how many other countries in the world are mature enough to accept this, and on top of that have so many people, both homosexual and heterosexual, posting positive reactions to it?”
building bridges 