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“Our members will continue to stand with our LGBT sisters and brothers, even when politicians won’t,” says CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – July 1, 2011) – Hundreds of Canadian Union of Public Employee, Ontario Division (CUPE-Ontario) members will show their solidarity and pride during Sunday’s annual Pride Parade in downtown Toronto.
They will be joined by Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, the first openly gay leader of a major labour union in Canada.
“Our movement and our union have always been at the forefront of building a better Ontario for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people, and we will continue to stand in solidarity for as long as it takes to create a Province where everyone-regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identification-is treated equally,” said Hahn.
“We have come a long way, but we’ve also seen in recent weeks what happens when governments don’t share the values of the people they are elected to represent. The House of Commons passed a law providing legal protections to transsexual and transgendered citizens, but the Tory-dominated unelected Senate killed the bill. The McGuinty government has mandated school boards to support Gay-Straight Alliances, but has done nothing to enforce the regulation,” he added.
“That’s why this parade is so important, and why we continue to march, even when politicians don’t.”
The theme of this year’s CUPE Ontario Pride float is ‘Pride in our Work’, developed by the Union’s Pink Triangle Committee. The theme both reflects CUPE Ontario’s efforts to create work environments where members are comfortable being themselves, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as highlighting the committee’s new website — www.prideinourwork.ca.
Notice to Assignment Desks — CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn will be available for on-camera interviews prior to Sunday’s Pride Parade. Contact Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, at 416-821-6641, or Fred Hahn at 416-540-3979 to make arrangements. The CUPE Ontario float will be assembled at Msgr Fraser-Isabella Secondary School, located at 146 Isabella Street, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Final assembly will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Rosedale Valley Road.
