As you can see in the photos, many Anglicans turned out for the Capital Pride March on Aug. 24, but they did not march because the event was cancelled. The Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer wrote this thoughtful account in the St. John the Evangelist parish newsletter, but his message resonates broadly, and he kindly allowed Perspective to republish it.
Our Capital Pride photo album presents a happy gathering of our St. John’s community and representatives of several Diocese of Ottawa parishes. Sadly, the parade began but was halted. Our Proud Anglicans group did not make it out of the staging area.
At first, we were confused, and then news began to travel backwards through the crowd that the parade had been cancelled by a protest by the group Queers4Palestine.The news was followed by spectators coming towards us saying that they were bringing the parade to us by walking the length of the staging area. We turned our parish signs outwards for the passing spectators and greeted them. I guess we were trying to make the best of events beyond our control. We were hot from waiting in the sun, and there was a sense of resignation when we also made our way to leave.
St. John’s put a lot of work into this. We took on organizing the Anglican presence on behalf of Diocese. We created signs, arranged the vehicle, produced new t-shirts, and we were excited to make the day memorable and meaningful.
If you followed the story, you may realize where things have been left. Capital Pride and Queers4Palestine each accuse the other of bad faith, with hardened positions and diverging accounts of what happened. On the one hand: “Why would protesters work against the progress other groups have made?” On the other: Pride is “always a struggle for liberation — not just for us, but for oppressed people everywhere.” Queers4Palestine’s position was supported by a prominent editorial in the Ottawa Citizen [by Fae Johnstone], which said that Pride is hollow if it ignores the oppression in Palestine.
Pride is important to St. John’s as part of our story — and we are part of this larger story. In the coming year, let’s find ways to continue to tell our Pride story as we watch the unfolding of what will happen at the parade next year. I hope we keep our organizing role, but let’s also work on other ways to channel our passion for welcome and justice. I encourage you to follow along and understand both positions. Pray for the leaders in our community, pray for the Capital Pride organizers, pray for the people of Gaza.
Should this not be resolved in time for next year’s Capital Pride, let’s be thinking about what we might create in addition to the hoped-for parade. May God encourage our creativity as well as our longing for justice.
—The Rev. Canon Gary van der Meer
St. George, Portage-du-Fort — Deanery of West Quebec