Sudbury Pride launches milestone year
This year marks 25 years of pride in Greater Sudbury. For many people, it’s a week of coming together, finding strength within the community and speaking up for changes the organization says still needs to happen.
“The political climate this year and the past couple of years has been really difficult to navigate,” said Sudbury Pride chair Katlyn Kotila.
“There have been a lot of people who have been trying to counter-protest and basically say that we shouldn’t be existing, we shouldn’t be out and loud and proud, and so there is a little bit of concern, of course, for the future. But I think the showing we had here today for our opening ceremonies does show that there is huge support here in this community.”
Pride week includes around 30 events, including a live panel on sex and money and a sexual health clinic. There is also a youth prom, a community awards gala and the group plans to honour history with a pride march.
“I think it’s going to be an incredible experience,” said Kotila.
“I think COVID was very isolating for a lot of members of our community and so this is a great chance for members of our community to get together once again and to really feel that sense of community and belonging.”
Laur O’Gorman, vice-chair of Sudbury Pride, also reflected on the past 25 years, noting that they were at the first pride march 25 years ago.
“I marched for part of it, but I was really young and anything about being queer, being gay, in any respect was very scary back then so it’s not a thing that most people really tended to understand about themselves until they were older,” O'Gorman said.
This year marks 25 years of Pride in Sudbury and officials are looking back on its history and forward to its future.
“It just wasn’t even a possibility to understand that you were gay at 12 years old when I was growing up.”
Although there is a focus this year on Pride’s history in the city, it was also the chance to look forward to the future and the next generation.
“I knew that I was not cis-gender, I knew that I was not straight since I was maybe about 13, 14 and I jumped from label to label because I didn’t know what I was,” said Quinn Wemigwans who identifies as two-spirit and spoke at Monday’s launch event.
“It came to finding a forum online about two-spirit identity and that was really what sparked it inside of me ... I always wanted to be a voice for those who never had one. It’s important to speak for those who are before us and for those in the future."
This year’s Pride Week officially kicked off with the raising of a flag at city hall. A group of people on hand said they are ready to stand proud, no matter what.
“We’ve really started to understand that it’s not necessarily self-care that we need to focus on, it’s community care,” said O’Gorman.
“We need the connections. You can do all of the self-care in the world, but if you’re not meeting with other people who make you feel good about yourself and who help show you that you’re a valuable person and that you’re normal, then you’re missing a huge piece of what you need to be mentally well.”
A full list of pride events can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Infant dies in ATV crash, N.S. RCMP says alcohol may be a factor
An infant has died and three others, including another child, were taken to hospital following an ATV crash in Forties, N.S., on Monday.
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
WATCH LIVE Charges against world's top golfer Scottie Scheffler dropped after arrest outside PGA Championship
Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world’s top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
How Trump's hush money trial verdict could affect the 2024 election
Here is how three potential outcomes from the jury room ─ a guilty verdict, an acquittal or a hung jury ─ could affect the presidential campaign.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
An Iceland volcano starts erupting again, spewing lava into the sky
A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red streams of lava in the latest display of nature’s power and triggering the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
'Are you driving?' U.S. man with suspended licence shows up on court Zoom call while behind the wheel
A Michigan man with a suspended driver's licence didn't appear to have thought through a recent court appearance made on video, joining the Zoom call while driving.
Heat-related monkey deaths are reported in several Mexican states
Heat-related howler monkeys deaths in Mexico have been recorded in a total of four states, environmental authorities said.