THUNDER BAY – Thunder Pride is joining the Pride Lives Here movement.
The organization, which represents the city's 2SLGBTIQ+ community, on Thursday said the idea behind the campaign is to promote diversity and inclusion in Northwestern Ontario, something that's taken on added significance in recent weeks after Emo, Ont. council narrowly voted against declaring June as Pride month in the community.
The idea behind the campaign is to promote inclusion through window displays and lawn decor, social media posts and other creative rainbow displays throughout June, internationally recognized as pride Month.
Special lawn signs, which have been sprouting up on lawns in Fort Frances, will be available for homes and businesses in Thunder Bay in return for a suggested $5 donation, though there is no requirement to make a donation.
“The Pride Lives Here campaign is an incredible opportunity to continue to highlight that the fight for equality, equity and inclusion for our 2SLGBTIQ+ communities continues. I thank Borderland Pride for bringing this great campaign forward and sharing it with Thunder Pride and Thunder Bay,” said Thunder Pride Association chair Jason Veltri, in a release issued on Thursday.
“I also want to say to all those troubled by the homophobic comments and actions taken by officials in Emo. We hear you, we see you, and we will continue to stand and fight with you to ensure this type of behaviour is eradicated from our world,” stated Jason Veltri, Chair of Thunder Pride Association.
Veltri said participants are being encouraged to share photos of their homes, families friends, staff or even pets celebrating Pride. They can be emailed to hello@thunderpride.ca or tagged on social media using the #YQTPrideLivesHere hashtag or shared on Thunder Pride's Facebook page.
The campaign is a substitute for the annual June Pride celebrations in Thunder Bay, which were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions surrounding it.
The campaign is not without controversy in Northwestern Ontario.
On Thursday Fort Frances coun. and Borderland Pride posted video to its Twitter page that appears to depict someone stealing a Pride Lives Here sign off a lawn in the dead of night.
“Homophobic leadership emboldened this bigotry. It is targeted and hateful,” the post reads.
For more information, visit www.thunderpride.ca or www.facebook.co/thunderpride.
