Letter to the editor

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On Fri., Aug. 26, 2022 we wrote a letter to the editor of the St Marys Independent:

We have been delighted by the support from the community, the town of St Marys, and our St Marys Public Library for the Pride celebrations held over this past summer. We are a diverse community and that should be celebrated. We are saddened that, yet again, a single individual feels it's right, just and even required that he should "peacefully protest" at the Drag King and Queen Story Time (July 30 and see Ted Fuller letter of August 11). Perhaps he missed the mayor, fire chief and others at the Legion fundraiser in June?

In his letter to the editor, Mr. Fuller asks for a respectful conversation. Apparently he cares deeply about how one should dress, who one should love, and how that love should be intimately expressed, or he would not be there to protest the innocent act of reading children's books. So clearly he does not respect the LGBTQ+ community which makes a respectful conversation difficult. But here goes anyway. 

We understand that Jesus said the first command is to love your god and the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (Matthew 22:35-40). I'd encourage Mr. Fuller to spend more time loving his neighbor and less time judging them (Matthew 7:1). He might check first for the plank in his own eye. There is nothing wrong or "sinful" here to condemn; there's just diversity.

We cannot understand or accept any religion that condemns people who love one another. We cannot see how or why anyone should care how one dresses or how that love is expressed. In 1967 Pierre Elliot Trudeau famously said “There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation”. In the many years since we as a country and a community have moved beyond the narrow minds and harsh judgements of people like Mr. Fuller.

Finally, at his protest I quietly gave Mr. Fuller a card saying "We're not trying to turn straight kids into queer kids. We're trying to make sure you don't turn queer kids into dead kids." Sadly that is the reality for some and, for us, it's personal.

Reg Quinton & Kate Graham

Prince Edward County

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Kate and I holidayed on Prince Edward County (in part to celebrate our 42nd anniversary) and met up with Gord and Leslie who drove down from Ottawa. This is our first holiday out of town in quite a while and we were really looking forward to time in the wine country (they specialize in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). 

We stayed at an AirBnB in the old stone mill at the Glenora Ferry. Gord and Leslie have a pop-up trailer and stayed across the way in a camp ground on the mainland.

Kate lived in Belleville during her highschool years and Prince Edward County, especially the beaches on the south side, were her stomping grounds. We've been before, often when her dad was still alive, but had not been back in quite a few years. I think the last time we were there we stayed at Huff Estates one night and another in Picton.

This entry is just a place holder, I'll come back and fill in some details another day.

Whitehorse

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On our August holiday to Prince Edward County with Leslie and Gordon we went to see the band Whitehorse (husband-and-wife duo of Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland based in Hamilton) at the Hayloft in Cherry Valley on Friday, August 5. The Hayloft is a smallish old barn that's a concert venue during the warmer months when tourists throng to the island, the wineries and beaches. I understand that Whitehorse plays there every summer and has done so for quite some time. There are regular fans who look forward to seeing them in this intimate environment. It is an intimate spot to see a band, I like it.

There was an opening act, Evangeline Gentle, who had a very nice voice and a very "gentle" presentation. She seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time doing her sound check and must have rehearsed her whole set list. We weren't able to enter until that was done.

The low stage was at one side as you enter, with a bar to the one end, an open standing room only/dance area in front and a loft area beyond. We parked ourselves below the loft area behind the sound man. There's some photos of Gord and Leslie dancing there. The Hayloft has a pretty good sound system but very poor lighting. The stage lighting are all at the performers feet, there aren't any light stands set up high. This made for some challenging photography.

I was vaguely aware of Whitehorse and have a couple of their albums from 2011 (Whitehorse) and 2012 (The Fate of the World Depends on This) but they've grown a lot in the 10 years since. Gord and Leslie were the fans and had bought the tickets which I recall were pretty expensive. I knew of the band as a gentle alt-country/folk/pop duo and was not prepared for what we saw that night. Accompanied by a drummer they tore up the stage with intense frantic fast paced rock and roll. I was very impressed, they're fast and furious and anything but gentle alt-country/folk/pop.

If you have a chance to see them, I'd encourage you to do so. For a quick sound check visit the Whitehorse Youtube Channel.