THUNDER BAY - Even though the celebration may shift to the virtual world, Pride will continue with its message of inclusion and breaking down barriers.
“Pride doesn’t go away, Pride isn’t cancelled,” said Jason Veltri, chair of the Thunder Pride Association. “Pride is just now being re-envisioned in a virtual way.”
Pride 2020 was to take place between June 5 and June 14 and include events all across the city and the annual Pride Festival in the Bay and Algoma neighbourhood.
But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers who have been planning events since December are retooling how it will look, moving away from in-person celebrations to virtual ones.
“We’re preparing a whole host of virtual events that will take the place of what an in-person pride would have been,” Veltri said. “We will use technology to the best of our ability to ensure our community still has pride to celebrate. Obviously it won’t be in-person, but we will do our best to make it a really exciting opportunity.”
Some of the events that could take place online include story time with drag queens, virtual dance parties, and literary events.
This year Thunder Pride received $123,000 in funding from FedNor for Pride 2020, which Veltri said was going to be used for more outreach throughout the region.
“We were really going to do a big push to our region and not only support some of our regional prides, but ramp up the advertising and marketing to encourage people as far away as Winnipeg and Duluth and the north shore to join us,” he said.
This is the 10th anniversary of Thunder Pride’s celebration and the theme this year is homecoming. And while things will be different now with no in-person celebrations, Veltri said they are still encouraging people to look back at their roots.
“That’s going to be a bit difficult now with COVID-19, but we want to encourage those folks who are away or physical distancing to take part in our Pride virtually,” he said. “Homecoming still takes an effect, it’s just done in a reimagined way.”
And just because the celebrations will look a little different, Veltri said the message behind Pride 2020 remains the same and just as important.
“The struggles and the challenges still persist in our community and we still have to break down those barriers and provide an inclusive and welcoming space,” he said. “If that is done online, or in person, those are still very important parts of gay rights and the pride movement. We are all in this boat right now across the world.”
Thunder Pride was also to host the 2021 Fierté Canada National Pride Conference and AGM next January.
Veltri said discussions are ongoing as to whether the conference will still take place and all decisions will be based on guidance from public health and the provincial and federal governments.
