Lunenburg County Pride pilot program aims to build community, improve mental health

Lunenburg County Pride's new Queer Connections pilot program aims to bring 2SLGBTQ+ people in the community together and reduce the feelings of loneliness that some can face.

The pilot consists of four social events with live music, food and guided social activity.

"We were hearing from our community that some folks were seeking more regular programming outside of Pride week," said Kai Skinner, a board member with Lunenburg County Pride.

They are "hoping to allow folks to meet other LGBTQIA people and have a space where they can feel that queer joy."

Queer Connections is funded by a grant from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia.

"Within rural communities, there is such a broad geographical divide," Skinner said. "That can increase those feelings of isolation it can increase those poor mental-health outcomes."

A Statistics Canada report released in 2024 found that between 2019 and 2021, the proportion of 2SLGBTQ+ people reporting fair or poor mental health was more than three times higher than for cisgender and straight people.

The report said chronic stress from discrimination and social stigma is a common explanation for these lower mental-health outcomes among 2SLGBTQ+ people.

Doctoral student and clinical psychology researcher Patrick Hickey is glad to hear of Lunenburg County Pride's efforts to hold more events in rural areas. He said having community is essential to mental health.

Finding "chosen family, finding those close support networks those have all been shown to really support mental health," said Hickey, whose research at Dalhousie University focuses on 2SLGBTQ+ health and wellness.

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He said researchers need to do a better job of including rural 2SLGBTQ+ people in their research and that more needs to be done to include them in policy decisions.

"There are a lot of LGBTQ+ people who live in rural areas," Hickey said. "And that's where they find their community."

Another goal of Queer Connections is to create safe spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ people. Skinner said that because of safety concerns, some avoid events that aren't aimed at those in the community.

While the program's events are free because of the grant, if there's enough interest in continuing them beyond the pilot, Lunenburg County Pride would likely have to ask for donations to cover costs.

Skinner said the organization is also exploring other options for low-costmonthly programming.

The first Queer Connection event was held at the start of July, while the next will be on Aug.11 at the Hungry Traveler Cafe in Lunenburg.