EDITOR:
In our current social media era, virtual spaces are essential to effective community organizing – especially among queer people. In Charlottetown – and on P.E.I. for that matter – there has never been a designated physical space for members of the LGBTQ2S+ community to gather, making virtual spaces that much more precious. Such spaces can reach beyond provincial borders and can engage those who don’t –or can’t – live on P.E.I. anymore.
I was shocked to learn that PRIDE P.E.I. unilaterally decided to shut down an important community group on a certain social media platform operated by a wealthy college dropout. This community boasts 780 members and pre-dates the current board of PRIDE P.E.I., calling into question their authority to make such a decision. Even more shocking is the way this closure was communicated: a notice of imminent closure in an otherwise active and productive discussion group, censoring dissenting posts, deactivating comments and new posts, and deleting past publications.
Regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity you should feel the chill of these actions and the dangerous precedent they set for other Island community groups.
We should all call upon PRIDE P.E.I. to reverse this decision and to adopt bylaws at their next AGM to prevent potentially devastating unilateral decisions to be made in the future.@pridepei; pridepei.com/contact
PRIDE P.E.I.'s AGM will be held Sept. 18 at 6:30 at the Voluntary Resource Centre, 81 Prince Street. All members in good standing as of Sept.4 will be eligible to vote on propositions and board elections.
Bradley Campbell,
Montreal,
Former Charlottetown resident
