The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) fined the mayor of the small Canadian town of Emo, Ontario, $5,000 after he refused to proclaim June as Pride Month and fly the pride flag.

HRTO fined the township itself $10,000 after its refusal to participate in the rite and declining to fly a “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag” outside their municipal building, according to their decision. The town, which is situated near the border with Minnesota, is home to 1,300 souls.

A Canadian town is facing a fine of $10,000 for refusing to participate in Pride Month and fly the “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag” outside its municipal building. Officials from the town have also been ordered to complete mandatory “human rights” training. https://t.co/Rty2S2aeDq pic.twitter.com/IGzGMbAinE

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HRTO ordered officials from the township to undergo “human rights” training for their alleged violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the decision reads. The incident was sparked back in 2020 when a group called Borderland Pride petitioned the town to declare June Pride Month. The petition included a draft proclamation that declared “pride is necessary to show community support and belonging for LGBTQ2 individuals” and “the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression represents a positive contribution to society.”

The petition also asked Emo to fly an “LGBTQ2 rainbow flag for a week of your choosing.” The town council voted 3-2 and denied the petition, according to the National Post. Mayor Harold McQuaker observed that there was “no flag being flown for the other side of the coin … There’s no flags being flown for the straight people” in his reason to vote against the proposal. (RELATED: Blue States Succeed In Stripping Defunct Definitions Of Marriage From The Books)

Human Rights Tribunal vice-chair Karen Dawson found the mayor’s reasoning was found to be “demeaning and disparaging of the LGBTQ2 community of which Borderland Pride is a member and therefore constituted discrimination under the Code.” Dawson argued that this remark “constituted discrimination under the Code.” Borderland Pride wanted the Township to be fined $15,000 and the three naysayers on the councils $10,000 each.

Despite the organization’s failure to obtain the full settlement they desired, Doug Judson, an attorney and a director of Borderland Pride, said that they were pleased with the tribunal’s ruling, CBC News reported. “We didn’t pursue this because of the money. We pursued this because we were treated in a discriminatory fashion by a municipal government, and municipalities have obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code not to discriminate in the provision of a service,” he said.