Fleming College

Peterborough, ON (Sept. 21, 2023) – Twenty years ago, a small group of Fleming College students did something that was, at the time, pretty radical.

They created Peterborough’s Pride Parade.

Jax Blue was part of that group. He was enrolled in Fleming’s Drug and Alcohol Counselling program; It was the first of three programs he’d take at Fleming, graduating from that program in 2003, Social Service Worker in 2004 and Culinary Management in 2007.

Outside of his studies, he was actively involved in promoting and advocating for diversity awareness at Fleming. He was the president of the Fleming Association of Queer Students (FAQS), a group which advocated for diversity and inclusion and raised issues on behalf of Fleming’s 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Back in 2003, he explained, there wasn’t a whole lot for the 2SLGBTQ+ community to do outside of the odd Rainbow dance at one of the downtown bars.

But 2SLGBTQ+ issues were making headlines in 2003. Same sex marriage was being debated in the House of Commons. Pride Parades were common in large cities, and smaller municipalities were beginning to host them as well-though Jax noted smaller Pride Parades often came about after a lengthy human rights battle between the local 2SLGBTQ+ community and opposing community members.

“We would talk, and think, why can’t Peterborough have a Pride?” He said.

Bent on the idea of bringing Pride to Peterborough, Jax contacted Peterborough’s City Hall to see how FAQS could turn the idea of a Pride Parade into reality.

It turns out the process was pretty simple. Jax needed to write a proclamation, and get it approved by then-Mayor Sylvia Sutherland.
“So I googled how to write a proclamation and went from there,” Jax said with a laugh.

It didn’t take long to write, he said, and he kept it folded up in his pocket to show friends to see if anyone had any input.

“I filed it thinking, ok, here we go, we’re up for a two-year human rights fight.”

He was shocked when City Hall called him back about a week later and told him the proclamation-and the Pride Parade-had received an official stamp of approval and that he could come pick up the now-official document.

“I said, ‘Yeah I’ll be over in five minutes before you change your mind.’”

But not everyone was happy.

While some city councillors called Jax to offer congratulations and support, others publicly expressed outrage over not being consulted about the parade, and some residents voiced their disapproval.

Jax and his team still had a lot of work to do. They needed to pick a date, set a parade route, and raise $1,800 to pay for costs like road closures and policing.

“But it was unbelievable how quickly the community came together.”

Support poured in from all corners. The Peterborough NDP Riding Association invited Jax on an NDP boat cruise with Jack Layton and Howard Hampton to sell tickets to a Peterborough Pride fundraising dinner.

Pride Month is in June, but Peterborough’s Pride has always taken place in September. It was a date the Fleming team picked because it’s when Fleming and Trent students arrive to attend Fall semester classes. Jax thought they’d need student support to make sure the event was successful.

“I’m there, I’m going OMG, are we going to have 10 people, 50 people, 100 people? That would be great,” Jax recalled.
“And then I saw how many people actually showed up.”

Police and reporters covering Peterborough’s first Pride Parade estimate that a crowd of 300 to 400 people stood outside City Hall to support and march in Peterborough Pride.

The event has grown tremendously since that initial walk.

On September 15 a team of Fleming College representatives, local politicians and community members were at City Hall to hoist the Pride flag high into the air. Hundreds of residents representing their community, businesses and organizations will walk in the Sept. 23 parade.

Jax has only missed one Peterborough Pride in the 20 years since he helped create it.

There’s a tradition he’s upheld, year after year.

There’s a point in the march, he explains, when the parade turns a corner after heading through the downtown core and heads toward Millennium Park.

It’s at that point that Jax steps out of the parade, turns around, and silently takes in the swell of people marching in the parade.

“I stop and I stand there by myself, and I just watch the rest of the parade go by, and it’s always emotional for me.”

Jax will be there on Saturday, Sept. 23 for his 20th pride parade. And once again, he’ll stand at the corner, turn around, and reflect proudly on how far the Peterborough community has come.

Fleming College will be at the Peterborough Pride Parade and Pride in the Park on Saturday, Sept. 23.

All Fleming students, employees, and supporters are welcome to walk with us in the parade or cheer us on along George Street. We’ll be decorating on site in the PACE School parking lot in front of City Hall and the Cenotaph between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.