Oxford County Pride Celebrates 10 Years

Thursday, 22 May 2025 at 05:43

A lot has changed for Oxford County Pride since it was first established in 2015.

OXFORD COUNTY - It has been 10 years since Oxford County Pride has been established in our community.

President Tami Murray says it all started with herself, Stephanie Johnson and Phil Vandermolen gathering in her living room back in 2015. Things have certainly changed since then.

"We now have multiple people on our team, our roles are very clear and we have political, business and community support throughout the county. We have definitely grown!"

The Rainbow Coalition used to host a Pride Family Picnic but handed the event over to Oxford County Pride when it was first created. Pride Family Day is now one of the biggest Pride Month events in Oxford County and it is scheduled for Saturday June 14th this year in Woodstock's Museum Square. The organization has a packed schedule for Pride Month this year, and you can find all of the details in the Oxford County Pride Guide online here.

Oxford County Pride also awards the Tyrell Maas Pride Leadership Award each year. It's a $500 bursary for an Oxford County student in Grade 11 or 12 who has showcased outstanding service and is actively involved in leadership activities in the Pride community. Monday, June 9th is the deadline to apply this year and the winner is always announced during Pride Family Day.

Every Oxford County municipality will raise a Pride Flag this June. Three rainbow crosswalks have also been installed with one in Woodstock, one in Ingersoll and one in Tillsonburg. Oxford County Pride has also remained strong amid several reports of vandalism to Pride symbols over the years, including when someone destroyed the rainbow crosswalk in Tillsonburg with gasoline.

Oxford County Pride has grown immensely over the past decade, becoming a strong staple within the community. With that being said, Murray says this will be her last year as President.

"I said 10 years would be a limit and here I am! I always say if you build a strong foundation, it will weather many storms."

Murray will continue to be involved with the group, but she says it's time for another person to bring new ideas for the years to come.

Tami Murray stopped by the Heart FM studio on Wednesday May 21st to chat with Dan and Marcie about some of the Pride Month events for 2025. You can listen to the full interview below: