09/09/2026
A Pride table at a community market shouldnât make anyone feel unsafe. But last weekend, it did.
Eastman Pride had a table at the 4P Festival Market, and while the vast majority of people we met were kind, supportive, and happy to see us there, we also experienced some hostility.
Most concerning, three q***r teenagers who were with our Eastman Pride table felt unsafe because of the behaviour of an aggressive adult.
And hereâs the part we really need to talk about:
We hear a lot about people being concerned about âthe childrenâ when Pride events happen. Weâre told that Pride flags, q***r visibility and 2SLGBTQIA+ people simply existing in public are somehow a threat to kids.
But apparently some people who are deeply concerned about protecting children have no problem making q***r children feel unsafe.
That contradiction should make us all stop and think.
The teenagers at our table werenât doing anything inappropriate. They werenât exposing anyone to anything. They were simply existing in their community and helping create a welcoming space.
And yes, the person behaving aggressively was a grown adult, a middle-aged man who was there with young children of his own.
If we genuinely care about children, that care has to include q***r children.
Fortunately, that wasn't the story of most of our weekend. We had so many wonderful conversations with supportive people who stopped to chat, encouraged us, thanked us for being there, and told us they were glad Eastman Pride was part of the community. We even had people ask how they could volunteer with us. đ
To the q***r kids and youth in our communities: you belong here. You deserve to feel safe here. You deserve to see yourselves reflected in your community.
And to anyone who thinks Pride is dangerous for children while feeling entitled to intimidate q***r kids: look in the mirror. The danger isn't a Pride flag. The danger is an adult deciding that a q***r teenager is an acceptable target for their anger.
We won't be intimidated into disappearing. We will keep showing up. We will keep making space for q***r youth. And we will keep reminding our communities that q***r kids don't need to be protected from Pride, they need to be protected from the people who make them afraid to be themselves.
You don't get to claim you care about children while showing q***r children that they aren't welcome.
