The Petawawa town council voted against flying a Pride flag this June.

This has upset some Anglican clergy in the area, prompting them to write a letter to the mayor saying that this sends the wrong “message to the members of the LGBTQ2S+ community”.

Petawawa, for those who might be unfamiliar with it, is a town of around 17,000 people located in the Ottawa Valley. It is the home of a Canadian Forces base and attracts hikers, fishermen and canoeists.

As you can imagine, a rural town of 17,000 is positively seething with LGBTQ2S+ residents. Are there enough to form a community, though? Do they have their own community hall? Are they comprised entirely of the five complaining Anglican clergy? I’m not sure.

Funnily enough, one of the clergy is the Right Reverend Michael Bird. That name rings a bell, although I can quite put my finger on why.

From here:

Five Anglican ministers are expressing disappointment with the recent decision by the Petawawa town council to not fly the Pride flag because of a 23 year old municipal resolution prohibiting such public displays.

The ministers from the Parish of the Valley made their point about Resolution 11 in an open letter addressed to Mayor Bob Sweet released Wednesday.

All Saints Anglican Church, one of the churches in the parish, is steps away from the Petawawa Town Hall and it has raised a Pride flag in solidarity with LGBTQ2S+ residents of Petawawa.

“We pray that the presence of the flag at the church will be a visible reminder of members of our community of God’s unconditional love for all people,” the letter, which is signed by five ministers — The Right Reverend Michael Bird, Archdeacon of Pembroke, Rev. Susan Clifford, Rev. Matthew Brown, Rev. Gillian Hoyer and Rev. Richard Durrett — states.