Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie, coming out wasn’t easy for Susan Rajamaki, the co-chair of Sault Pride.
“I knew who I was at a very young age,” she remembers. “I felt alone and very frightened. We didn’t have Pride. We didn’t have any visible queer people. I didn’t have anybody to identify with. You just made assumptions that somebody was [queer]. It’s difficult growing up and thinking maybe there’s nobody else in the world like you.”
After moving to Toronto to go to school, she quickly realized that she wasn’t alone, and finally felt comfortable enough to come out as a lesbian.
“It wasn’t something I was able to do when I lived in Sault Ste. Marie. Which is really unfortunate because I do love the Sault. I knew when I moved back, I wasn’t going back into any closet. If anything, I wanted to be that advocate, that supporter, that visible force out here to say to hey, there is somebody here that is a lesbian, that lives here and works here and runs their life in Sault Ste. Marie. If Pridefest can do anything, I hope it will show others that we do have an LGBTQ2SIA population that is accepted and embraced by the community. You can be who you are, and feel comfortable and safe.”
Now in its sixth year, Pridefest has grown exponentially. While it has always enjoyed the strong support of local unions, the city coming on board as an ally has bolstered the event significantly.
“I couldn’t believe the amount of people that were here [for the opening celebration],” says Rajamaki. “We started with just a weekend, and we’ve grown to eight days [of events]. When I look at the flag raising picture of 2014 and the picture from this year’s flag raising, I could easily say it’s grown by 30 per cent.”
Amanda Zuke has similarly been involved with Pridefest since its onset, and has noticed a marked shift in how it’s received. While she acknowledges there has been a vocal minority on social media who are less than accepting, others in the community are demonstrating their support.
“Seeing how local businesses and community members have embraced our Pridefest event roster is amazing,” she notes. “The first year, Pridefest was looked upon as being a group of radicals and it’s now part of the cultural fabric of our city; it’s also expanded over the years from a weekend to an eight-day celebration of diversity. The first year, the only municipal employee present for the flag-raising was the city hall security guard who came out to raise the flag. Last year the mayor and other local politicians were in attendance, along with in-uniform representatives from the various local police services – in rainbow epaulets no less – along with the OPP, RCMP, and CBSA. It's been a profound change.”
The original Pridefest in Sault Ste. Marie began as a response to the refusal by the then-city council to fly the Pride flag in support of LGBT athletes during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, but it has now taken on a life of its own as a celebration of strength and diversity.
“This year, we’ve had a flood of volunteer Pride Parents, allies to the community who are giving their time to provide both directions and big hugs at Loud and Proud [Pridefest’s cornerstone event which happened on Sunday], because loving acceptance is still a distant dream for so many LGBTQ2SIA individuals,” says Zuke.
This year, participants can take part in a Pride-themed Paint Nite session hosted by Lauren Amin, a True to You clothing swap aimed at trans folk (complete with esthetician students offering full makeovers), a Celebration of Life to celebrate those who’ve both died from and live with HIV/AIDS, a fashion show, coffee night, open mic, family karaoke, a Pride Mixer, a drag show and dance, as well as a church service at Emmanuel United and a brunch buffet.
Organizers are also looking to expand Pridefest’s reach to better encompass those with disabilities as well as older adults – people whose gender expression and sexuality are often shuffled out of sight.
“There’s a concern with older queer folks that when they’re going into long-term health and living facilities – a lot of them who have been out and proud and fought for rights – are having to go back in the closet because when they get into these institutions, there’s not a feeling of acceptance,” says Rajamaki. “We never forget our history and our roots. Our sisters and brothers that were out here in Sault Ste. Marie – the gay underground, as it was called – holding their events and get-togethers. We take every opportunity to talk about the older queer population in Sault Ste. Marie in recognizing their efforts for us to be able to move forward with confidence and be able to have a Pride.”
“I came of age during a time when LGBT issues, including marriage equality, became mainstream after years of being a fringe issue,” adds Loud and Proud co-organizer Linsay Ambeault. “My children, who are now preteens, recently expressed surprise that there was ever a time when gay marriage was illegal. I think it's important to remember that for the youth entering high school this fall, marriage equality is a historic event that happened before they were born. We know there are still homophobic beliefs out there, but those voices are dying down. As part of the Millennial generation, myself [who is] raising children in this community, we have an opportunity to make sure that inequality and homophobia, as well as any belief that marginalizes members of our society for reasons outside of their control, ends with us.”
“I’m most looking forward to being able to see how all the various community members – be they entertainers, vendors, agencies, or local businesses – come together to celebrate the diversity of Sault Ste Marie and be able to demonstrate to our sponsors what a difference this event makes for the community,” says Ambeault. “Seeing the impact Pridefest’s presence has had on my hometown of Sault Ste. Marie is one of the things I’m proudest of,” she says. “We have something for everyone!”