TORONTO 鈥� A transgender support group in northern Ontario is honouring LGBTQ veterans on Remembrance Day for their sacrifices in past wars.
Rita Olink, a member of the and chair of Northern Ontario Pride Network, will help lay a wreath with a Pride flag to honour LGBTQ veterans at the cenotaph at the Onaping Falls Community Centre in Sudbury, Ont., on Monday.
鈥淲e鈥檝e lived in oppression for so long and it鈥檚 so nice to finally come out into the daylight and say 鈥榰s too, we contributed to the freedom that everyone enjoys today,鈥欌�� Olink told 麻豆影视 Channel Sunday. Olink had six family members 鈥� her father and five uncles 鈥� serve in the Second World War.
For soldiers stationed overseas in past wars, sending and receiving letters from loved ones was a routine, but Olink points out: 鈥渋f you were gay, how could you possibly get a love letter from home? How could you even talk about your loved ones?鈥�
鈥淭hey served in silence, but they served,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were wounded and they died just like everyone else. But they had to do so quietly.鈥�
In November 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued an emotional apology in the House of Commons for the federal government鈥檚 past treatment of the LGBTQ community.
鈥淚t is with shame and sorrow and deep regret for the things we have done that I stand here today and say: We were wrong. We apologize. I am sorry. We are sorry,鈥� said Trudeau.
TG Innerselves laid a wreath last year on Remembrance Day in honour of LGBTQ veterans for the first time. Olink hopes that it becomes a norm in the coming years.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the day that this is a normal part of Remembrance Day ceremonies across Canada,鈥� she said.
