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Pride North of 55 caps off another successful march in Thompson

Thompson’s fifth Pride week came to a close Sept. 22 with a march and barbecue organized by the local group Pride North of 55. Following on the heels of a flag raising ceremony at City Hall Sept.
Pride march (September 2018)
Thompson Pride march participants sing along to “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People Sept 22.

Thompson’s fifth Pride week came to a close Sept. 22 with a march and barbecue organized by the local group Pride North of 55.

Following on the heels of a flag raising ceremony at City Hall Sept. 17, Saturday’s festivities attracted a small but dedicated group of LGBTQ+ community member and allies, who departed from the Thompson Regional Community Centre (TRCC) around 11 a.m.

In unseasonably cold temperatures, the group completed a three-kilometre circuit around Thompson Drive and Cree Road with plenty of rainbow flags in tow.

Encouraged by honks from passing cars, the marchers kept themselves motivated by singing along to songs such as “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Firework” by Katy Perry and “Y.M.C.A.” by the Village People.

Upon returning to the TRCC, participants enjoyed food and live music from local rock band Between the Ditches.

Even though Pride North of 55 has undergone some organizational restructuring throughout the last year, chairperson Susannah Mueller said that it’s still critically important to put these kinds of events together for local members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“We’re trying to co-ordinate things in the north and be there for people who need it, so that people feel like they don’t have to leave the north in order to find some place to be comfortable and accepted,” she said.

Mueller went on to say that this broader sentiment of LGBTQ+ awareness has already spread to other parts of Northern Manitoba, with Flin Flon having celebrated their second Pride parade back in August.

Pride North of 55 is considering organizing a movie night next month and a Valentine’s Day dance in February 2019, although nothing is set in stone just yet.

The group’s ability to pull these events together is entirely dependent on the commitment of their volunteers, which puts a lot of pressure on people like Mueller and other key organizers, including her partner Lee Ann Bowman.

“When you’re doing volunteer commitments, most people have other things going on, full-time school or full-time jobs,” said Mueller, who teaches English at R.D. Parker Collegiate. “I’ve seen different groups come and go in Thompson that were often person dependent …  and that’s another reason why I stepped in as acting chair because I didn’t want to see it dissipate and fall apart.”

The group’s dependence on volunteers is especially vital in 2018 after they broke away from Pride Winnipeg to become an independent organization, which means they no longer have access to that larger group’s resources.

Anyone interested in helping organize future events for Pride North of 55 can contact Mueller via the group’s Facebook page.

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