Preserving trust. Refusing neutrality. Choosing the margin.

To stay trustworthy for the people who are counting on us.

We will be marching at Wild Pride.

We will not be walking at Fierté Montréal.

And we will hold a booth at the Community Days at both events.

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Why this decision?

For 45 years, Interligne has placed social justice, kindness, inclusion and power to act at the center of our mission. These values guide our choices, especially when issues become complex or polarizing.

This year, our values lead us where margin becomes memory, and memory becomes movement.

We have chosen to invest our presence where our struggles have always taken root: within the limits of the system, in places that are not visible enough. We focus our energy where our actions can remain true to our principles, not to our comfort zone.

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Marching where our struggles were born

Marching at Wild Pride means there is no pride without memory, without courage, without justice.

Deciding not to walk at Fierté Montréal is not withdrawal. It’s deciding to embody our principles, with rigour and transparency.

Our presence at Community Days represents our desire for dialogue, connection, and continuity. It’s building bridges, even when it’s uncomfortable.

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What we’re questioning

The current situation is not a ‘’squabble’’ between two events.

It’s the expression of growing discomfort with an event that, while claiming to represent our struggles, seems to be moving away from them on fundamentals points.

But we must also recognize that Pride is not a simple public relations stunt.

It was born from acts of courage, disobedience, and tension. It was forged in discomfort, in the face of institutions too slow to recognize our rights.

We cannot ignore the concerns expressed within our own teams and in the communities we support.

And we cannot guarantee today that this space will be safe for our members, our staff, beneficiaries, and allies.

That is why we’re choosing to honor our mission differently this year, with a critical, coherent, and clear-sighted presence.

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A question of trust

We are thinking about the most marginalized people in our communities.

Those who rely on our services.

Those for whom Interligne is a safety net, a refuge, a vital link.

Our actions, or inactions, send them a clear message.

And the damage done to the trust of these communities would be far greater by marching at Fierté Montréal than by refusing to do so.

It’s not a question of visibility. It’s a question of trust. And this trust is at the very heart of our mission as a front-line organization.

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Genocide is not a matter of opinion. It’s a crime defined by international law.

In Gaza, a genocide is underway in a territory under prolonged occupation.

Global institutions – the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the UN, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International – recognize a real or proven risk of genocide.

Hospitals, schools and entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed. Children are dying of hunger. And the world is watching.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his intention to officially recognize the State of Palestine in September, thus joining an increasingly shared international political position.

We will not look away.

There too, LGBTQ+ people experience fear, exile, and violence.

Here too, people from the diaspora and people concerned about human rights share their pain with us.

Out role is to listen. And to act accordingly.

What our values mean, here and now

  • Kindness is about supporting the most vulnerable.
  • Inclusion is about recognizing power relations.
  • Power to act is about creating spaces where marginalized voices can fully exist, without compromise.
  • Social justice is about refusing indifference in the face of the annihilation of entire populations.

What about Interligne?

We choose this side of history : Support. Memory. Courage. Forgotten voices.

We defend human rights. Let that be clear.

And we condemn all forms of hatred or oppression: homophobia, transphobia, racism, sexism, colonialism, ableism, islamophobia, antisemitism, etc.

We reject conflation. And silence.

As we know, in a world where oppression is intensifying, neutrality is never truly neutral.

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Who we’re walking for

For all LGBTQ+ communities.

In all their specific, complex, plural, and intersectional struggles.

For trans people whose rights are being rolled back.

For queer Palestinians.

For young people discovering the injustices of the world.

For those who do not have the luxury of silence.

We march for them.

With them.

It’s a decision:

For trust.

For consistency.

For memory.

For courage.

For a fairer world, even if imperfect.

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And if this position seems late to you, be assured that it was born out of listening, doubt, debate, and collective reflection.

We would have liked to speak sooner.

But we prefer a late and lucid statement than a hasty and impulsive stance.

As a frontline organization, we must be worthy of the trust of people who need us the most.