With new mandate, Sudbury Pride bolsters activism, outreach efforts

Sudbury Pride says it's moving its focus away from its yearly week-long festival to concentrate on being a year-round presence for people who identify as LGBTQ-plus.

While the festival will continue in future years, the incorporated non-profit organization has been filling various volunteer lead positions over the past month.

Those include roles overseeing sponsorships and donations, social media, youth outreach, and volunteer coordination, among others.

Eric Cashmore is the new head of activism and community outreach for Sudbury Pride.

"Pride has historically been a one-week kind of venture throughout the year," said Cashmore. "We heard resounding cries from the community that this is something they wanted year-round.

"By creating these leads, we were able to create social and political events throughout the year to really support and uphold LGBTQ rights."

An example of those events came last month, explained Cashmore, when Sudbury Pride rented a bus to travel to North Bay to protest changes to the sex-ed curriculum at that city's Pride festival, which Ontario Premier Doug Ford was originally slated to attend.

Ford never showed up, but Cashmore said the event was well-attended by Sudburians.

Sudbury Pride had considered filing a human rights complaint against the Ontario government decision regarding the sex-ed curriculum. However, they've now chosen to lend support to a high-profile challenge put forth by a group of human rights lawyers in Toronto.

Other roles the organization is taking on include helping people take charge of their mental and physical health, for example, by connecting people with queer-friendly doctors.

On one recent occasion, said Cashmore, a parent called the organization after receiving a prescription for special patches for their transgender child. But they didn't know what to do next.

"We started making phone calls to pharmacies, found a fantastic contact [at a local pharmacy] and they were referred there, and got their patches the next day, which is really awesome," noted Cashmore.

He told another story, involving a few individuals who had called the mental health crisis line after experiencing suicidal thoughts due to anxiety surrounding their gender identity.

Cashmore said members of Sudbury Pride travelled to meet them, helped them connect with doctors and picked up their prescriptions. They're now in regular contact and following up on their situations.

'We kind of dropped the ball'

Cashmore said one of Sudbury Pride's most important moves has been the creation of the yet-to-be-filled position of Indigenous lead.

"One thing that Sudbury Pride, we kind of dropped the ball on, was creating really strong community engagement with our Indigenous people this Pride," he offered.

"That is not a mistake we will be making again. LGBTQ2SA people are oppressed groups; so are Indigenous people. We recognize and we believe strongly that only if we work together can we create some real changes for both communities."

He admitted the organization is not flush with cash. They don't even have an office.

"If Sudbury Pride had the opportunity to get funding for full-time staff and space, I'm sure that's not something we'd shy away from," said Cashmore. "Of course, it's always easier if you have a permanent space for people to walk in and seek help - but that's certainly not an option for us right now.

"Every cent that we collect goes directly into community, and we're not upset with that fact. We're all very happy just volunteering to make this community a better place."