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South Simcoe police celebrate Pride Month (4 photos)

'We become stronger and more resilient when different communities come together,' says chief
BradfordToday Staff

NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE SERVICE
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The South Simcoe Police Service raised the Pride flag at our North Division in Innisfil this morning.

Another Pride flag raising will be held tomorrow (Thursday) at our South Division in Bradford.

Chief Andrew Fletcher made the following remarks as he welcomed those in attendance and spoke of the significance of the event to the police service.

“Good morning and Happy Pride Month. Thank you to everyone who took time out of their day to join us this morning.

Throughout the month of June communities will come together to show their support of the two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and questioning communities (2SLGBTQ+) with flag-raising ceremonies like this one. And although we will participate in a number of those events, this flag raising is special to us as it is our opportunity to celebrate with police service members who are proudly part of the LGBTQ+ community and to once again raise the police service’s custom-designed rainbow flag to continue the tradition started last year.

Through events like this, we are given the opportunity to show our respect for the rights of others, which is a core value of our organization and is foundational to the communities we serve. Although progress has been made, there is still much work to be done in overcoming discrimination and the continued splintering of our communities into divisive groups on nearly every topic imaginable. But I believe we become stronger and more resilient when different communities come together around the shared vision of a more inclusive community.

That is truly what we are celebrating today. Inclusion.

But I also recognize that it has to be more than just raising a flag. I hope that through events like this it starts the conversation, and creates an opportunity to ask questions, listen, and have respectful dialogue about how others identify themselves, to open minds and hearts, to be an ally and create an opportunity for our rainbow colours to shine.

Thank you for joining us today. May your Pride flags fly high this month and every month.”

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