Controversy over a parade float at Liverpool’s signature festival has brought on a wave of support for the LGBTQ community.
This year marks Kim Myra’s first Privateer Days parade since taking over ownership of Oscar’s Cafe.
She wanted to make it special and decided to incorporate Pride into the float, including inviting several drag queens.
After announcing her plan on the cafe’s Facebook page, she received some negative feedback suggesting she stick to just advertising her business and to stop pushing Pride.
Myra’s son, Bradley Keeping-Myra, is one of the drag queens and due to safety concerns, for her son and his friends, she cancelled.
That is, until she received a mountain of support both in person and on social media.
“Now we have so many people, positive comments,(saying) ‘no we’re supporting you, Queens needs to wake up.’”
The float is back on and bigger than originally planned, including even more drag queens.
Myra says she’s grateful and hopes this shows just how much pride there is in Queens.
“Queens doesn’t do a pride parade and Halifax does … but there is a huge community in Liverpool who is gay but they’re quiet and I wanted to promote it.”
Meanwhile, many in the community are rallying around Myra in support of both her and the LGBTQ community.
Local resident Stacy Smart Chandler says she knew she needed to do something when she saw the float had been cancelled.
“My immediate reaction was just disappointment just that there was the type of negativity around that would make them feel any kind of fear or that they weren’t welcome in the community.”
Smart Chandler says Queens is ‘better than that.’
In less than 12 hours she gathered almost 20 people and signed up to join the parade.
Smart Chandler and her mother went to the local dollar store and bought every rainbow item they could find, filling the back of their car.
Now that Oscar’s Cafe will go ahead with their own float again, Smart Chandler says they’ll march behind them in support, carrying flags.
And there are more rainbow items to go around for those who would rather cheer from the sides, rather than march, says Smart Chandler.
Story by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
E-mail: wentzell.brittany@radioabl.ca
