The July 11 opening ceremonies of the 25th anniversary of Fierté Sudbury Pride was a celebration of the past and of the future for the local 2SLGBTQ+ community.
But the event, held at the Tom Davies Square courtyard and featuring a mayoral proclamation and flag raising, was also a chance to be inclusive of Black, Indigenous and people of colour, and to acknowledge not just how far the movement has come, but also, how much further there is to go.
The ceremony was a kickoff to the July 11-15 Fierté Sudbury Pride week, featuring educational opportunities, clothing swaps, but also, social activities and even a Pride Prom.
There will also be the Pride March happening on July 15. While many might say parade, there was a focus at the opening on the need to ground all events in social change.
One such speech was from a founder of the pride movement in Sudbury, Gary Kinsman, who reminded those in attendance that Pride was born of social action and needs to remain that way. Other speakers, such as vice-chair Laur O’Gorman, chair Katlyn Kotila and former chair Alex Tétreault, spoke of their journey to understanding themselves, but also, the importance of continuing that support, and that fight for acceptance.
But taking the podium at the event was a speaker representing a community that is not always included in Pride festivities but should be welcomed, said organizers.
Quinn Wemigwans is a two-spirit person (in Anishinaabemowin, Niizh Manidook. Niizh translates as “two,” and Manidook as “spirits.” (The singular form is Manidoo, “spirit”) who uses they/them pronouns.
Wemigwans told Sudbury.com that there was always a nagging feeling, something they didn’t understand about their gender, until a form Wemigwans was filling out gave the option of two-spirit. Both genders at the same time.
Wemigwans said it was the moment they truly felt understood. “When I saw that, I just immediately started bawling,” they said. “What I feel inside and what was described, somebody who walks both worlds, that is what I feel and that is exactly what I am.”
Wemigwans spoke at the event of the need to recognize the true harms of colonialism, but also spoke to those who expressed a desire to offer the LGBTQ community safe and welcoming places. “You must include Indigenous people,” said Wemigwans.
Inclusivity was paramount for all organizers, said Katlyn Kotila, chair of Fierté Sudbury Pride.
“With everything that we do, it's important that we honor indigenous people, because at the end of the day, they're the ones who were here first,” said Kotila. “We're trying as an organization to make sure that as we move forward, we are working with indigenous people and indigenous communities. There's still a long way to go for us, but I'm hopeful that every single year we do this, that things can improve and get better.”
Vice-chair Laur O’Gorman (who uses they/them pronouns) is non-binary and spoke at the event of the need for acceptance and inclusivity, but also, the need to acknowledge how quickly things can change.
O’Gorman told Sudbury.com that the recent Roe vs. Wade overturn in the United States proves that if a right has to be given, it can just as easily be taken away.
“That's kind of one of the problems of human ‘rights’,” said O’Gorman. “It's not something that we are assumed to have, it's something that is given to you, almost like a privilege. And so if we have the right to get married, if we have the right to abortion, if we have all of these rights, then at some point, somebody can come in and take them away.”
There is the need to ensure that social action and inclusivity is at the heart of all they do, said organizers, but also, that this is a chance to welcome the community back together.
Former chair Alex Tétreault told Sudbury.com that the importance of creating space for community is also enjoying that space. “I am there to march, but also, to see everyone with rainbow flags and smiling just fills my heart,” he said.
Kotila, too, is pleased with the balance of social action and community reinvigoration they’ve achieved for the week.
“At the end of the day, we are a community-first organization,” she said. “And I think that the really beautiful thing about pride is that we are all different. I love learning from everyone, I'm so grateful to have people who teach me every single day, and I have no doubt that those who get involved are going to learn and grow in the same way.”
You can find more about Fierté Sudbury Pride week events by visiting their website here.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter with Sudbury.com. She covers the diverse communities of Sudbury, especially the vulnerable or marginalized, including the Black, Indigenous, newcomer and Francophone communities, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ and issues of the downtown core.
