The Globe and Mail - June 2024
Hundreds take part in Orillia, Ont., Pride march
words + photos by Laura Proctor
Under overcast skies on Saturday, hundreds of people in rainbow colours marched through downtown Orillia, Ontario.
They walked past the Orillia Opera House, past the local businesses, and past intrigued residents, at what was the town’s second-ever Pride march.
Volunteers with Lake Country Pride only started the Orillia Pride march last year. The group was founded in 2022 by Celeste Lalumiere, an Orillia resident and gay woman. She was inspired to create a Pride scene in her town when she attended a drag queen story time at the library, which attracted both enthusiasm and vitriol.
The backlash to the event showed Ms. Lalumiere that there was a need for queer visibility in Orillia, a town 150 kilometres north of Toronto.
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