By Rick Garrick

FORT WILLIAM — Fort William celebrated Pride Month with a Community BBQ featuring a tie-dye t-shirt activity for children and free Pride t-shirts on June 20 next to the band office.

“My intentions were just to get the community out and support Pride Month,” says Bailey Meawasige, family well-being worker at Fort William. “I’m just really excited that there’s so many people out, our leadership is out, we have our community partner NorWest (Community Health Centres) here.”

Meawasige adds that Fort William’s Youth and Social department was planning to hold a Pride Drag Show on June 25 in the community.

“We’re going to be supporting our other departments and hopefully we’ll get a good turnout,” Meawasige says.

Brice Morriseau, family support team leader at Fort William, says it was important to celebrate Pride Month in the community.

“Coming out of COVID-19, I think it’s good to get our community out and about, get to see everyone,” Morriseau says, noting that several councillors attended the Community BBQ. “We’re doing tie-dyes with the kids right now, getting the colours, getting some shirts out there, the food out, Pride t-shirts out, it’s a pretty good turnout.”

Fort William Councillor Bess Legarde says the Community BBQ was held to recognize citizens from the LGBTQ2S community.

“It’s important that we include them and that we honour them and recognize them and support them,” Legarde says. “This is just kind of a celebration to bring community together and honour those people and individuals. We have several staff from our administration, we have public works (staff), we have our EMS attending, we have our Youth and Social Development team, and our Health Centre team that organized this, and councillors and leadership.”

Fort William Councillor Leo Bannon says he brought his great niece and great nephew to the Community BBQ.

“I try to support everything,” Bannon says. “It’s actually a nice turnout. All the events we’re having, it’s starting to pick up a little bit more every time.”

Fort William Councillor Jacob McKay says it was important to support the LGBTQ2S community at the Community BBQ.

“I think having Pride Month is good but we should be celebrating Pride year-round,” McKay says. “There’s a lot of community [citizens] here, it’s really good to see both these two departments … working together. I love seeing that and it came together really nice. I’m glad that everybody’s enjoying themselves, it’s a beautiful day here in Fort William First Nation celebrating Pride.”

Fort William Councillor Brian Ludwigsen says he was very proud of the Health and Youth and Social departments for putting on the Community BBQ.

“It’s a really big support to our community [citizens] who are Two-Spirited,” Ludwigsen says. “We are a very inclusive individuals as Anishinabek people, so it’s really important just to be out here supporting one another and showing the support so it’s very visible out there and to ensure that no one is left behind.”

Fort William Elder Sheila DeCorte says the Community BBQ demonstrates the importance of Pride Month.

“It doesn’t matter who you are as an individual, you’re just as important as anyone else and you have the right to be loved and respected and honoured,” DeCorte says. “By them hosting this event, it demonstrates that the community supports the diversity in our people.”

Tannis Kastern, a former Fort William councillor, says Fort William always highlights the major issues that they need to work on as a community.

“[It’s important] to support our community [citizens] that want to be free to express who they are on a daily basis in our community,” Kastern says.