Fiert Sudbury Pride to hold Pride parade that includes police involvement

FiertSudbury Pride will see the return of its Pride parade this summer.

The organizationhas announced it isplanningfor a Pride parade to take place during the city's Pride Week in July. Itis also collaborating with Greater Sudbury Police Services (GSPS) for the parade, a decision FiertSudbury Pride hopes will foster inclusivityand safety for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

The decision to bring back the Pride parade and to include police comes after the organization cancelled the event in 2023, following community backlash over police being present.

Nathan Kanasawe, one of the co-chairs of FiertSudbury Pride, said the decision to go ahead with the event this summer came after a lot of discussions and consideration from the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

"This big gesture of solidarity with the 2SLGBTQ+ community is important," said Kanasawe.

"With the rise of anti 2SLGBTQ+ protests and hate groups in Ontario and across social media, it's important to show that Sudbury is this diverse community that's filled with people from all walks of life and that there's no room for hatred in this city."

Kanasawe said FiertSudbury Pride has new board members this year and the organization has since joined with the Sudbury Queer Coalition, which is made up of other 2SLGBTQ+ organizations in Sudbury.

Kanasawe said members of each organization felt it was important to have a Pride parade to show solidarity, inclusivity, and visibility within the city.

He said for the event to go ahead safely they had to include the presence of police, noting that officers will be directing traffic and stationed along the parade route to ensure the safety ofparticipants and counter any protests.

Additionally, GSPS has committed to including openly queer or ally volunteer police officers in the parade procession, along with decorated police cruisers, and inclusive uniforms as a way of showing solidarity and support.

Kanasawe said some people have voiced concerns about the police presence, but explained that as part of the organization's attempts to ensure everyone feels welcomed, they will be working with local organizations and setting up police-free spaces along the parade.

Other community members in Greater Sudbury are not convinced participants will feel safe with police involvement, and argue police presence sends the wrong message to minority groupswho have been negatively affected by law enforcement.

Laur O'Gorman is the former chair of FiertSudbury Pride, and said they don't feel that Sudbury police are taking threats or the queer community's concerns seriously.

O'Gorman said police need to sit down and address internal structures in policing that make it difficult for them to be full allies with the queer community.

"Putting rainbow colours on a police cruiser or letting police officers have the option to wear rainbow colours on their uniforms, these are very symbolic gestures," said O'Gorman.

"None of the initiatives that they're talking about have substance that would lead to meaningful change. None of it talks about sitting down with the queer community and listening to our concerns."

Jennifer Foote is a member of GSPS who works closely with the force's Equity Diversity and Inclusion team, and is part of their internal Pride Working Group. She is also a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, who said police want to come to the table listening and address people's concerns.

"We want to make sure that we are showing up in a way that is respectful to everybody that is participating in Pride," said Foote.

"So we have been listening and we are taking all of that feedback in order to show up in a way that kind of makes everybody feel the most comfortable."

Foote said while there is still a lot of work to be done, GSPS wants to keep having conversations with community members and find solutions to repair past wrongs.

"Obviously there's a trust that needs to be rebuilt here. And I think the police need to show up and they need to prove that they have earned that trust, right, in order for certain groups to feel comfortable coming forward."