Tensions have continued to mount between a local Pride group and Cambridge’s Mayor, as both sides continue to provide their reactions and statements following an incident during a city-run event.
The incident itself happened back on June 1, when the City of Cambridge was holding its annual Pride flag-raising event.
During the event, 17-year-old Sophie Mills, a local non-binary teen, was giving a speech about their experiences and celebrating inclusivity, but a video of the speech posted to social media showed that Mills turned their focus towards the previous actions of council regarding Ward 6 Councillor Adam Cooper.
Previously in 2025, Cooper was in the public focus after he shared an online meme centred around pronouns, referencing an executive order which was put into effect by U.S. President Donald Trump that ended various policies protecting the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals.
“When Ward 6 Councillor Adam Cooper shared a transphobic meme, he did not apologize, nor was –,” said Mills before being interrupted by Liggett.
“Sophie, I’m not going to allow you to continue. It’s disrespectful. Can you remove that part from your speech, please? He has already gone through what he needs to.”
While Mills stayed and finished their speech, raising the city’s Pride flag, the discourse has since grown online as pushback continues to mount against the city and, in particular, Mayor Liggett.
Mayor Jan Liggett's response
The growing concerns have since led the city’s mayor to issue an online video, discussing the event, the issues raised, and predominantly Liggett standing by the decision she made in the moment.
“The ceremony became overshadowed by issues and grievances that have been the subject of public debate for more than a year,” said Mayor Liggett in a video statement.
“While people are entitled to their views, there comes a point when communities must find ways to move forward.”
Liggett pointed to statements made prior to the event from local groups, saying that there was tension mounting before the event had even begun.
“What concerns me most is the growing pattern of division that has emerged around what should be opportunities for celebration and connection,” Liggett said.
“Prior to the event, public calls were made by a local Pride organization to boycott the City’s flag raising. Given the tone of some of these communications, the City had concerns about whether the event could proceed in a safe and respectful manner for everyone attending.”
Of note, Liggett made mention that the speech that was given during the event differed from the one that was originally submitted to city staff, saying, “This young person said they decided to change out their speech that morning after seeing the local Pride organization’s post about boycotting the city event.”
Liggett stated that, if Mills had told staff prior that they were going to be delivering a separate speech, they “would have worked with them and all of this could have been avoided.”
The mayor said that the incident has now led to various accusations, harassing calls, emails, death threats, and threats made to family members and staff.
Local Pride group responds
“Mayor Liggett, we reject your response,” said Grand River Pride in a statement, responding to Mayor Liggett’s 10-minute video.
“You have ignored the voices of Cambridge, and the impact you have caused. That was an extremely long video that said nothing.”
The group had already called for a boycott of the city-run event before it got underway, pointing to the city’s “blatant disrespect and lack of inclusive leadership.”
“When Grand River Pride called for the boycott of the event, it was because we expected you to repeat your harmful actions and create an unsafe and disrespectful environment,” Grand River Pride said in a statement on social media.
“We did not want Cambridge’s 2SLGBTQIA+ youth to be exposed to that discourse. We were correct. Your actions were unsafe and disrespectful.”
That online statement was signed and noted by Eric Bolton and Bryan Causarano-Bolton, both founders of Grand River Pride.
The groups said it will now be calling on the country’s Integrity Commissioner to hold the city accountable, saying that it has disregarded the Municipal Code of Conduct by infringing on Mills’ freedom of expression, citing the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“This is not a matter of differing opinions. This is about the Mayor’s violation of a citizen’s rights. Mayor Liggett, we demand your resignation.”
Grand River Pride said it would be organizing a march at Cambridge City Hall Monday afternoon at 3 p.m., looking to gather on Lower Main Street before making their way to city hall directly at 3:30 p.m.
“We are grateful for anyone who has expressed and continues to express their outrage with the Mayor’s action,” said Grand River Pride.
“Thank you for showing up and holding her accountable. We will continue to celebrate Pride with you despite and because of these events.”
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