In July of 2024, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Halifax Pride Parade, an event we have been attending consistently for many years. While it was not our intention, we recognize that this decision was disappointing and caused harm to many of our Members, particularly those in the 2SLGBTQI+ community. We recognize that the decision was also disappointing to many allies.
We also recognize that it has taken us longer than it should have to address this issue and for this we sincerely apologize. In that regard, we wish to affirm and reiterate our commitment and support for the 2SLGBTQI+ community. The NSBS supports the right of every person to be who they are and to love who they love.
We proudly stand with the 2SLGBTQI+ community in their pursuit of substantive equality and remain committed to fostering diversity and inclusion, both within our organization and membership. There is still work to be done and we commit to doing this work.
As a start to this work, we are planning an open house to connect with our members and discuss what this work looks like in the future. Please stay tuned for further details. In addition, for those who wish to submit written thoughts, questions or concerns, we invite you to email us at council@nsbs.org.