Pearson, who also works as Algoma University’s Equity Centre Project Coordinator, explains, “The goal was to break down some of the silos that exist in the queer community here. There’s a lot of individuals doing great things – but not everyone knew about them – which is why we wanted to put them on a community calendar.” She notes that when Covid-19 hit the Sault, many events scheduled for the annual Pride month had to be cancelled due to social distancing measures.
A couple of Pride events to be highlighted are: on Tuesday at 7 p.m. , Lith Webb — a former Olympic athlete who played on the Canadian softball team — will be speaking to students via a Zoom meeting (this will also be open to the community). The event is a collaborative one that has been put on by the Algoma University Student Union and the Pride Project. Webb will be speaking about the intersections between blackness, queerness, and disability. Second, there is a Queer Sex Education Panel with Q&A happening on Thursday.
“Resources are limited for queer folks in northern and rural communities,” says Pearson. “So it’s important for us to make them available — and accessible — to everyone.”
She notes that Algoma Family Services will also be having some events. For children, there will also be a Drag Storytime for Kids (where drag kings read children’s stories outloud), which will also be facilitated during a Zoom call.
“It’s a great event because in between the readings, [local youth] will be doing instructional drawings that the kids can participate in too.”
Check out all the events posted in their community calendar by going to their website: www.theprideproject.ca and pass on the info to family and friends.
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