A Canadian city is being fined $10,000 for refusing to participate in Pride Month and fly the “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag” outside the municipal building.
The town of Emo, Ontario, has a population of approximately 1,300 and is located near the border with Minnesota, According to a report by the National Post, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario was found to have violated the Ontario Human Rights Code by refusing to declare June as Pride Month.
The city was also cited for failing to fly an “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag,” the report said, despite Emo not having an official flagpole.
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Pride flags are seen during the LA Pride Parade on June 11, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
In addition to the $10,000 fine, city officials were ordered to undergo mandatory “human rights training.”
According to the report, the decision to name Emo began with a 2020 incident in which the city was approached by a group called Borderland Pride, which issued a written request asking Emo to declare June Pride Month.
The group’s request also included a draft proclamation, with clauses such as “pride is necessary to demonstrate support and solidarity within the community for LGBTQ2 individuals” and “the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression represents a positive contribution to society.” ‘
Borderland Pride also asked the city to fly an “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag for a week of your choosing.”
Emo, Ontario, town hall (Google Streetview)
The request was denied by a 3-2 vote at a later Emo City Council meeting, where Mayor Harold McQuaker argued that there is “no flag raised for the other side of the coin…no flags raised for the straight.”
The line was seen as particularly offensive Human Rights Tribunal vice-chair Karen Dawson, who said she found the comment “demeaning and disparaging to the LGBTQ2 community of which Borderland Pride is a member and therefore constituted discrimination within the meaning of the Code.”
Dawson further argued that the comment was made in the “proximity” to McQuaker’s no vote on the Borderland Pride request, meaning it “constituted discrimination within the meaning of the Code”.
Borderland Pride sought a $15,000 fine for the council, according to the report, as well as a $10,000 fine for each of the three council members who voted no to the group’s request, although the tribunal ultimately settled on the $10,000 fine to the municipality and a $5,000 fine. for McQuaker.
Center Emo, Ontario (Google Streetview)
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McQuaker and Emo’s chief administrative officers were also ordered to take an online course offered by the Ontario Human Rights Commission called “Human Rights 101” and “submit proof of completion to Borderland Pride within 30 days.”
