The Ontario town of Emo is seeking a judicial review after receiving a $15,000 fine for the community’s refusal to celebrate Pride Month in 2020.

This small community of about 1,300 residents is making waves after being ordered by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal to recognize Pride Month and raise a Pride flag — even though the township doesn’t even have a flagpole!

The controversial ruling has sparked outrage, especially as the township has already been fined $10,000, with Mayor Harold McQuaker personally hit with a $5,000 fine, taken straight from his own bank account.

WATCH: Ontario township ordered to bend the knee to Pride bullies — what's next?

We've travelled all the way to the remote township of Emo, Ontario. Headlines have been generated around the world over Emo, for all the wrong reasons.https://t.co/0mpFHQuaxI

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) December 13, 2024

The conflict began in 2020 when the local council voted against a resolution to officially declare June as Pride Month and fly the Pride flag. Mayor McQuaker, who voted against the measure, expressed concerns about the lack of recognition for other groups and the fact that the town flew no other specialty flags.

In stepped non-residents from Borderland Pride, demanding compensation through the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario for this rejection.

The tribunal ultimately found McQuaker’s comments about there being no flags for “the other side of the coin” to be “demeaning and disparaging,” and ordered both the mayor and the town’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to undergo sensitivity training.

The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal is forcing Emo Township to affirm and compensate the Rainbow Mafia. Meanwhile, townspeople are being scared into silence under threat of litigation and financial penalization.https://t.co/7qHCISYERE

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) December 16, 2024

Now, Emo Township is taking the matter to court, requesting a judicial review of the Tribunal’s decision. The town maintains that it upholds a declaration of equality passed in 2022, which affirms the dignity of all people, including LGBTQ2S+ individuals, but it refuses to be coerced into adopting a policy it disagrees with.

Borderland Pride has condemned the township’s challenge, citing the “bigotry” of council members and a “far-right political obsession with the legal rights of queer and trans people.”

“The application reflects the far-right political obsession with the legal rights of queer and trans people,” its statement reads in part. “It attacks the civil rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Ontario to access municipal services free from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. It attempts to conflate the personal political views and bigotry of members of council with the legal, institutional role of the municipal corporation in our communities. This is entirely unacceptable.”

Borderland Pride said that they “unequivocally condemn this mayor and council,” and vowed to defend the rights of LGBTQ2S+ individuals no matter where they live in Ontario.

This legal challenge highlights the rising conflict between local autonomy and activist pressure for a universal celebration of Pride Month. As towns like Emo defend their right to reflect local values, it raises critical questions about freedom of expression, the dangers of compelled speech, and how mandated 'inclusivity' often excludes diverse viewpoints.

Please chip in to help recoup the cost to send David Menzies and Lincoln Jay to the remote town of Emo, Ontario!

Emo Township is extremely remote — closer to an airstrip in Minnesota than any airstrip in Ontario — and due to a lack of accommodations, David and Lincoln had to sleep in an SUV last night. Operating on a very tight budget, Rebel News asks anyone who can to chip in to help cover David and Lincoln's travel expenses, so that this important story can be covered thoroughly.

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Sign the petition to demand the Emo Township Council stand up to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal!

1,554 signatures

Goal: 10,000 signatures

We, the undersigned, respectfully call on the Emo Township Council to stand up for its local community and push back against the heavy-handed demands forced upon it by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal. We urge the Emo Township Council to refuse these unreasonable dictates and instead demand a more sensible, good-faith solution — one that upholds respectful dialogue and acknowledges the township’s practical limitations. Let’s show that small communities deserve a voice, not a costly ultimatum.

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