2SLGBTQIA+ and the Mississippi Valley

Since time immemorial, the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation have lived in what we now call the Mississippi Valley, just west of Ottawa, Ontario. It consists of small towns surrounded by greenery and farmlands. The water power of the Mississippi River drew colonial settlements and mill towns to the rural area in the 1800s, and the textile industry boomed until cheaper, foreign labour and materials shut it down post World War II. The textile legacy of the area lives on through the local fibre arts community and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum.

The Mississippi Valley Textile Museum is located in Almonte, on the banks of the Mississippi River. This Community Story’s nine participants all live in and around this area, with ties to the local community.

Tony Bove (left) and Andy Williams (right) at their wedding celebration outside the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in 2020. Select the image to learn more.

In 2020, the Museum flew its first Pride flag, which was quickly torn down and vandalized. This brought the community together with an outpouring of support, and resulted in a gay couple in the community getting married at the Museum that summer. Hundreds of people turned up for the celebration and chanted “love wins,” and love continues to win. Now, there’s an annual flag raising attended by the Mayor of Mississippi Mills, Christa Lowry. While there are conservative and homophobic views in the rural area of the Mississippi Valley, there’s also support, allyship, and a growing queer community.

Crowd gathered for the annual Pride flag raising at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in 2024. Select the image to learn more.