THUNDER BAY – Around 200 people gathered at sunrise Friday in an outpouring of support for a Thunder Bay coffee shop that has reported homophobic attacks.
Attendees chanted, waved signs and rainbow flags, and enjoyed rainbow donuts and coffee while mingling for over an hour at Bay Village Coffee in the city's North End.
It’s a display owners Gary Mack and Alan Forbes called overwhelming – and a positive sign of just how far the city has come in supporting the LGBTQ community.
“I think it makes a very strong statement that we’re not going to tolerate this kind of hatred in our community,” said Mack. “It’s difficult enough in these times – let’s just love each other and support each other.”
The gathering came in response to a letter the business received condemning homosexuality, pointing to biblical passages, and suggesting a rock thrown through the shop’s window earlier this year was an expected consequence.
Forbes said he was personally moved by the love expressed for the couple and their business Friday, but more concerned about sending a message to others who encounter homophobia.
“The part that’s important is to show anybody else who may be struggling that this behaviour is out there, but it’s not accepted by this community,” he said. “This community says no.”
Mack called the letter “abusive and hurtful,” but said the sentiments are clearly overpowered by community support.
“It just shows that those people are very much in the minority and… it sucks to be them, sorry,” Mack said.
Christian leaders including Bishop Fred Colli from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Thunder Bay and Archdeacon Deborah Kraft, of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, have expressed their support for the shop, with Kraft challenging the Christian community to show up on Friday.
That call was heeded by attendee Elisabeth Gesch, who said the letter Bay Village Coffee received “goes against everything Christianity stands for.”
“I’m here today to show support, and just to make it known that not all Christians hate gay people,” she said. “Many, many Christians are very much in support of the LGBTQ community, and we absolutely do not stand by the hateful letter that was sent.”
Political leaders including Mayor Bill Mauro and MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell were also present Friday.
For Mack, the outpouring of love and support is evidence of a real shift in Thunder Bay’s culture.
“We grew up in Thunder Bay, and this was not a gay-friendly town whatsoever,” he said. “For us to have a successful business, to be celebrated by the community, to have people reaching out to us like this from all walks of life – Thunder Bay, I think, has changed dramatically.”
That doesn’t mean the community can rest on its laurels, he said.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he said. “If people can take a shot at us like that, what about people who have less social power?”
“We want to be able to stand here so that children who are watching, people who are trying to figure themselves out can say, you know what? It’s okay to be who we really are, just be ourselves. If everyone was their truest self, what a beautiful world this would be.”
A number of youth and children in the crowd Friday seemed to appreciate that message.
Rowan Fawcett, 12, woke up at 6:30 a.m. on a PA day to attend the gathering.
“I’m transgender, and this stuff means a lot to me, so I wanted to come and support it,” they said. “I think it’s really great that they turned something that was very negative into a positive thing where the community can come together.”
With files from Leigh Nunan, TBT News.
