McCreath reviews History of St. John's Pride Inc

this too posted on Facebook in response to me being vilified by folks that just can't let go of old wounds and move on....

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I think people deserve to know the facts about the history of this organization.......

St. John's Pride Inc was NOT taken over by anyone - it was, in fact, conceptualized in Sept 2010. Prior to this date, no registered organization existed. Prior to this, pride was merely a grass roots movement that was often organized by people outside of the LGBT community, who kept a very tight secret on their finances, which to this day, remain a mystery.

It should also be noted that while some did not approve of the registration of a legally registered non-profit corporate entity, the founders DID INDEED seek significant input from key LGBT community stakeholders. Furthermore, it should be noted that in 2012 and 2013, the new elected Boards opted to keep the non-profit registration in tact - a sign that the incorporation process was an important step in the growth process.

The incorporation of a non-profit, by a group entirely made up of LGBT community members, acted as the first step in creating an accountability model for an entity that had no previous direction or legal obligations.

LBGT-MUN has done pride events dating back over a decade. In some years, their pride events were the only ones organized in the city, in other years, there were other pride movements.

In Sept 2010, there were concerns that the pride week movement in the city from the 2008-10 era, had focused too much on university population and had ignored those of other demographics. Also, i personally had some concerns about the entities' lack of respect and knowledge about trans issues, as well as concerns about a significant lack of transparency and accountability (hence my reason for getting involved).

In Sept 2010, creating an organization that truly reflected the entire community, that was run by and for the community, with transparent policies and procedures, was the goal.

You can't build a house if you don't have a foundation. It was certainly a rocky procedure to get that foundation built, but the good news, is that i think we have seen significant progress as each year has past, since the creation of Pride Inc. I do not think anyone associated with the org in 2010-2011, deserves to be vilified. Pride would not be what it is today, if it wasn't for the steps taken by these brave folks.

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