Pride Lives Here: Big plans for Pride Month in Thunder Bay

Despite challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Thunder Pride is moving forward with Pride Month celebrations.

Pride Month is marked throughout the month of June, across Canada, each year.

And while the pandemic and the resulting restrictions on social gatherings is making things more difficult this year, Thunder Pride chair Jason Veltri said the organization is still planning to make the month a special one.

"At the end of the day, Pride will always exist," Veltri said. "Pride doesn't get erased because of a pandemic."

"We just have to re-envision it, and we've gone to the table and we've had many meetings about what virtual Pride would look like," he said. "We're going to have over 25 different events over the month of June."

The planned events include a drag show, literary night, film night, drag makeup workshops, and a new event called drive-by drag.

"A team of drag kings and queens will be pre-booked for a performance in your driveway of two to three numbers," Veltri said. "It's just to kind of bring joy to the neighbourhood."

This year, as well, Thunder Pride is celebrating Pride Month alongside Kenora Pride and Borderland Pride.

Borderland Pride is based in the Rainy River District; earlier this month, the Township of Emo council voted down a resolution that would have declared June Pride Month in the community.

Veltri said Thunder Pride is working with the other two organizations in a show of support.

"Our purpose of it was to stand in solidarity with them and join the campaign, so that it was a united front across northwestern Ontario," he said. "To really promote inclusion and diversity of the 2SLGBTIQ communities, not just here in Thunder Bay, but right across the northwestern Ontario spectrum."

Veltri said Thunder Pride is using the Borderland Pride slogan of Pride Lives Here, as well.

"It's to provide a full effort in northwestern Ontario," he said. "We are still here, we can still showcase our pride, even though we can't celebrate in person."