A Bradford West Gwillimbury resident and a local organization have been nominated for Simcoe County Pride Awards.
BWG resident Jessica Van de Kemp, a bisexual woman, award-winning teacher, poet, and PhD candidate, was on the list of nominees released by Fierté Simcoe Pride on Thursday afternoon.
Nominated for Person of the Year, Van de Kemp researches gender stereotypes in drama TV that reinforce rape myths to call out media that normalize sexual violence against women, according to Simcoe Pride.
As a spoken-word artist, “she encourages expression through the arts to help keep the erasure of bisexual individuals and other members of the queer community in focus,” read the nomination.
As well, Bradford Women’s+ Group, which hosts regular workshops for women to learn about a variety of meaningful issues, was nominated for Organization of the Year.
“The group aims to normalize conversations about gender and sexuality while creating a safe space for members to learn and reflect on their own understandings of the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” read the Simcoe Pride nomination.
The Simcoe County Pride Awards, the winners of which will be announced at an Aug. 10 gala, recognize gender- and sexually-diverse individuals, allies, organizations, and inclusive businesses.
The Town of BWG was nominated in the Community of the Year category last year but lost to Orillia. This year, the Town of Innisfil and the City of Barrie are nominated in that category.
For the full list of nominees, visit the Fierté Simcoe Pride website.
