Montreal West Island's 1st Pride event helps to heal past wounds

Theo Wouters was delighted to see how much things had changed in Pointe-Claire, Que., as residents gathered for the municipality's first ever Pride event Saturday.

"In the past, my husband and I, we had about 10 years of harassment in Pointe-Claire and this is an absolutely wonderful initiative to make people aware that we exist," he said.

People of all ages gathered at Edgewater Park to meet with artisans, community organizations and watch different shows and panels touching on the 2SLGBTQ+experience in the suburbon Montreal's West Island.

"The West Island has never really had many public 2SLGBTQIA+ events," says David Hawkins, the executive director of the West Island LGBTQ2+ Centre andthe organization behind the event.

The last time there was a gathering of this kind in the municipality was in 2001, he says, when thousands of people took to the streets to support Wouters and his now late husbandRoger Thibaultwho had been experiencing harassment from neighbours and beyond.

"Young people came from all over the Pointe-Claire area. They threw fire on our house, breaking the windows of the car, we had all kinds of things done to us and we said, 'No,this is not what we accept,'and we started to fight back," Wouters recalls.

The pair went on to become the first same-sexcouple to enter into a civil union in Quebec the following year. Thibault died in August 2023.

"I continue, in memory of Roger," says Wouters.

Pride outside of the big city

Hawkins says the goal of Saturday's eventwas to convey the message that Pointe-Claire is a united community.

"We support each other, we're here to uplift each other, we're here to bring visibility to each other and we're here to stand side by side," he said.

For him, the objective was to provide a space closer to home for the West Island's 2SLGBTQ+community than what Fiert Montral's programming might offer.

"Anyone who's ever used the public transit system knows that it's not necessarily an efficient way to get around," he said. "There are a lot of people who don't necessarily get to access Pride in Montreal every year."

The West Island Pride is intended to complement Montreal Pride, hence its September date, he says.

Nathalie Djandjibrought her two children to the event Saturday.

"In the West Island, we're not as much in contact with other realities so I think it's important to bring them to these kinds of events," she said. "It's important just to be used to the fact that people are different. There are all kinds of families."

Shannon McGarrsays that feeling represented in her community is very important. She and her partner are mothers to theirson Winston, whom they brought to the event.

"Even though my son is very proud to have the family he has, I think it's really important and nice for him to be able to experience families that look like ours," said McGarr.

Hawkins is hoping Saturday's Pride event becomes the first of many.He says the organization hopes to make it an annual event or at least hold it regularly.