A Windsor activist says an apology for the treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and two-spirited people from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons is a step in the right direction.
In a statement, Trudeau says the apology will be for persecution and injustices the community has suffered — citing the "purge" of civil-servants that spanned from the 1950 to 1992 that sought to weed out people based on their sexual orientation as an example.
Pridefest Chair David Lenz tells AM800 News acknowledging past mistreatment and making reparations is a step towards a more inclusive future.
"It's really important to recognize that these things happened," says Lenz. "Thankfully we live in a country where it happened — which is truly unfortunate — but we're actually finally recognizing it and the government is coming out and fully recognizes that."
He hopes the announcement will foster change for LGBTQ2 communities outside Canada's borders.
"Our government is a little bit different, Canada's been really good about showing equality and diversity, inclusion, with gay marriage back in 2005," he says. "I'm sure there are going to be governments, there might be some that won't, but maybe this will be a stepping stone moving forward, they see Canada doing this and maybe they'll follow suit."
Lenz — who is now in his early '40s — says the move is another indication of the change society has undergone.
He never dreamt there would be so much support, having grown up in the '80s and '90s.
"Just being able to be accepted, now days it's remarkable, we have GSA's [Gay Straight Alliance] in every school, we have multiple organizations supporting the LGBTQ2 community," Lenz says. "There are so many things going on, things you would never think about back then."
Trudeau will officially apologize on behalf of the Canadian Government in the House of Commons on Tuesday Nov. 28.