By Louise Taylor
David Pepper has his Greyhound bus pass, his backpack and his laptop for tweeting, blogging and updating his Facebook page. The man is ready for a 21st-century, one-man awareness-raising trip across the country.
Pepper, a longtime Ottawa activist and organizer, begins his trip today in Winnipeg, where he'll officially launch the North Star Triangle Project. His volunteer effort aims to mobilize members of Canada's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) communities to sponsor men and women being persecuted in other countries for their sexuality.
It's a simple idea: take the bus to 14 cities, meet with GLBT groups and individuals to share his knowledge of refugee issues and what they can do to help someone who has been forced to flee their home country.
Pepper will be visiting Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge, Alta., before returning through Ontario and ending in Windsor by the end of April — 14 cities in all. In May he flies to British Columbia, and in June he heads to the East Coast. He's still looking for contacts in some towns, but gaps in the schedule don't worry him.
"I believe that there are gays and lesbians in every town in this country who want to do something for gay refugees in the rest of the world," says Pepper, 48. "If I can help link them up with resources locally, provincially or nationally in a way that helps them contribute with their own aspirations, that in itself will be a goal met."
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