As Pride month wraps up, seniors at the Rosewood Retirement Residence took part in the home’s first ever Pride parade.
Residents wore tie-dyed shirts and walked the catwalk on a make-shift runway.
“I’m doing it to show my support,” says one of the residents. “And to show I believe in it.”
The catwalk provided some laughs as the residents held their very own fashion show, and to show their support for the LGBTQ2 community.
“I’d like to say how absolutely thrilled I am to be able to celebrate Pride day here at Rosewood,” says resident Tina MacDonald.
“I mean, for a bunch of old folks to look at this issue, it’s just been fabulous.”
The topics central to Pride can be often overlooked in older generations, but understanding them can be learned at any age.
“I think it’s really important that there’s no generation gap,” says Rosewood receptionist Jade Davis.
“That no matter how old you are, no matter how young you are, everyone supports everyone. For me, I do have a lot of family members that fit into that community, and I want to show how much I support them.”
Organizers explain that the pride signs, and other decorations like hearts, rainbows and ‘pride forever signs’, were made by kids with the Boys and Girls Club.
“We took a perfect opportunity during COVID, after being in the lockdown for so long, to show our pride, to show our colours and to show everybody how great we are and we care,” says lifestyle consultant Anna Mountian.
Rosewood also held diversity and inclusion educational sessions for the residents leading up to the parade.