THUNDER BAY – Organizers behind month-long Thunder Pride festivities celebrating the city’s LGBTQ+ community have released details on this year’s event.
With this year’s theme set as “U BELONG,” organizers say the event will offer something for everyone, launching on June 1 with a sunrise ceremony.
"We want to really hit home that everyone in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community fits here, and knows that they belong here in Thunder Bay and in the region," said Scotia Kauppi, chair of the Thunder Pride Association.
Other highlights include a flag-raising at city hall on June 2, the second annual Glitter Ball featuring Canada’s Drag Race star Rita Baga on June 9, a street festival on Red River Road on June 17, and a pride pool party at Volunteer Pool.
The month will also feature community discussions like a forum on allyship, and a protest march is also planned for June 17. A grassroots group had organized their own march last year after pride organizers said they didn't have the resources to do so.
"When pride first started, it was always a protest," said Kauppi. "We would like to just honour that."
The celebration of the LGBTQ+ community will come at a time when its members are facing increased threats, organizers said, citing a flood of legislation in the U.S. to limit the rights of transgender people and prohibit classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity.
"I'll tell you, the community is scared, kind of looking over our shoulder worried about where the next protest or angry person might be demanding drag performers go back in the closet, or that we don’t organize pride and don’t support children – all this narrative and innuendo and misinformation that’s out there right now," said Rainbow Collective president Jason Veltri.
“This year's theme of ‘U Belong’ ensures we will never cower or waiver in the face of increased hate or bigotry towards 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, and we will fight like hell to ensure those still struggling to see themselves in the community are accepted, valued, and seen.”
The annual event will be organized jointly by the Thunder Pride Association and the Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay again this year.
The public is invited to find updates at those organizations’ websites. The hashtag #YQTPRIDE2023 will be used to highlight local pride events on social media.
Northern Ontario women’s curlers Team McCarville will serve as community ambassadors during the festivities.
In 2024, the street festival and other pride events will need to find a new venue, as reconstruction unfolds on Red River Road.
Veltri said there have been early conversations about potentially holding next year’s event in the south end.
