pride month

If you’ve attended a 2SLGBTQIA+-friendly event in Thunder Bay recently, you may recognize the Queerdos goodie bag.

Inside the bag is a Naloxone kit and 10 educational pamphlets covering everything from sexual health, queer history, safe drug use, works of art, protest tips and even food and music reviews.

The bags are distributed for free by members of the “Queerdos” advocacy group in bars and clubs throughout Thunder Bay.

“These kinds of mini magazines came into popularity in the 80s and 90s in punk culture,” said Queerdo member Sloane DiBagio. “The content of our zines included some information about the Toronto Bathhouse raids, which is the inspiration for Pride as we currently see it in Canada. It was when queer people were being arrested, in particular gay men were being arrested for gathering in spaces.”

A behind-the-scenes look at the production of the zines in Queerdos’ sweatshop-free tote bags (via Sloane DiBagio)

The Queerdos are a grassroots group in Thunder Bay dedicated to organizing free, educational Pride-focused events and meetups across the city.

“Anyone is allowed to take on the Queerdos name so long as they’re doing something free and queer-oriented,” DiBagio said. “The idea is that people come out for the event, have fun, usually get some free food if we have the funding, and then they also get educated on important subjects like consent, safer sex and harm reduction.”

The Queerdos first came together last year as a group of friends, united by their opposition to “rainbow capitalism”, a term used to describe corporate-led queer events that prioritize profit over meaningful advocacy.

Funding for many Queerdo events comes from Elevate NWO, a local leader in HIV prevention and treatment.

Board vacancies and funding challenges have cancelled Thunder Bay’s Pride parade, but DiBagio highlighted several 2SLGBTQIA+-friendly events the Queerdos have planned ahead of Pride Month in June:

• Saturday May 30: An impromptu “Pride is a Protest” march, starting at Waverly Park at 11 am
• Sunday June 14: A free clothing swap and red carpet runway at Lakehead Beer
• Sunday June 28: The Queerdo Carnival, a queer-themed party with carnival games and educational resources
• Drag Bingo, Queer Prom and Explore Gala events held at bars and clubs throughout the summer

Of course, celebrating identity and diversity isn’t limited to one month of the year.

“June isn’t the only time we’re all queer. It’s not the only time we take up space. We’re trying to push the bounds of Pride and gather at other times of the year. So we’re definitely kicking off Pride, but also reminding people that Pride is 365,” DiBaggio said.

DiBaggio says more queer community members in Thunder Bay are stepping up into leadership roles.

“We’re seeing a lot of people feeling empowered. We’re seeing people in the community getting things done for themselves. It’s really about not pulling the ladder up after you and allowing others to take leadership positions in our community and build the kind of space they want to see. It’s been really exciting,” they said.