Celebrating diversity

Jen Metcalfe says events like Pride in the Park will go a long way to help people become more open with themselves.

Hundreds attended the Pride in the Park festival at the Marina Park on Saturday, and other related events that took place in the city throughout the week. Participants enjoyed the sun, played in the field or grabbed something to eat, while many others watched as Faith Nolan sang about tolerance and loving one another.

Metcalfe, stage and artistic director for Pride in the Park, said she’s overwhelmed by the supportive energy.

Metcalfe, 40, has worked in the community as a confidence builder for years and said she was excited the city was becoming more open minded about people’s sexual orientations.

With more support, people won’t be as afraid to come out and be themselves, she said.

"It’s great to be proud to say 'I’m a lesbian,'" Metcalfe said. "Coming out is a lifetime experience. Some people come out when they are 70 years old. It’s just as lovely for a man and a woman to fall in love as it is for a man and a man or a woman and a woman. "

Metcalfe left southern Ontario when she was 18 years old to pursue her education in Thunder Bay. By the end of her first year at Lakehead University, she said she had an epiphany and decided to be open about her sexual orientation.

"It was that simple for me," she said. "I did the work with my family. I couldn’t have had a more open minded scenario. But there was still work. For some, it is a bigger struggle. Some people don’t have the confidence or the words to be able to stand still and talk about it."

Rachel Mishenene, Thunder Pride co-chair, said the community had definitely shown its support for the event. There needed to be a festival, such as Thunder Pride, where diversity is acknowledged and celebrated.

Thunder Pride, she hopes, will help rid the community of homophobia.

"We’re here and we’re teachers, parents, community activists," Mishenene said. "Our sexual orientation shouldn't have to define us. It’s celebrating who we are in this community."