Organizers hope Kuujjuaq Pride celebration will include other communities
Two-day Pride event in Kuujjuaq saw its biggest turnout in its three years, organizers say
The main float of Kuujjuaq’s Pride parade guides the crowd of participants on Tuesday. (Photo by Isabelle Dubois, special to Nunatsiaq News)
Kuujjuaq’s annual Pride celebration has grown in recent years and its youth organizer hopes to soon see similar growth in other villages.
“I would like to see Pride become this big event, not just in Kuujjuaq but in every town in Nunavik,” said Niivi Snowball in a phone call after the Pride events that ran Monday and Tuesday had wrapped up.
“I want it to become this big celebration that happens in all the communities.”
Snowball handled planning for Kuujjuaq’s Pride concert, which originally was to include multiple performers. However, scheduling issues made it difficult for them to set up.
“It went well. Even though it was smaller than we wanted to be, it was still a lot bigger than what it had been before.”
During the two-day event, members from multiple organizations were invited to Kuujjuaq to be panelists for conferences. Gris Montréal, Les 3sex and Two-Spirit Indigiqueer Circle hosted talks on sexual diversity, religion and gender diversity, and the impact of colonization on Indigenous gender and sexuality, among several topics covered.
The event ended with a parade on Tuesday. “I just remember seeing a lot of people,” said Snowball, “there was quite a big crowd.”
Organizer Tommy Sequaluk agreed, saying “a lot of people showed up, more than last year and the first year. I was very proud of that, and I am so happy they marched with us this year.”
The majority of funding was provided by the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, but Sequaluk said that support was not always a certainty.
“Funding was cut off for a bit, we almost had to go individually do our own fundraising campaign,” he said.
After the group spoke with board executives, part of the funding was restored. With that support organizers brought in two members of the LGBTQ+ community from Puvirnituq and Inukjuak.
The goal is to eventually have all the Nunavik communities involved in the Kuujjuaq Pride event. “We want to bring as much youth from other communities as possible to be able to experience Pride themselves,” said Snowball.
As a message to the LGBTQ+ people who could not participate in the Kuujjuaq Pride event, “we did not forget about you,” said Sequaluk.
“We will be there for you, we can be reached on Facebook or Instagram.”
He added, “in the future we will try and get you to come to Kuujjuaq or we will come to you.”
On the Kuujjuaq Pride parade main float, youth organizers stand, from left, Niya, Sarali Angnatuk, Rivers Saunders, Niivi Snowball and Rei Harris. (Photo by Isabelle Dubois, special to Nunatsiaq News)
This is completely unnecessary, and it’s getting out of control.
Equality means no spotlight. No special recognition. No special parades, flags, etc.
Stop this.
the people who organized this are heros. dont let ignorance and hate put you down. future LGBTQ+ people of nunavik will live better and fuller lives thanks to your efforts and sacrifices. Thank you with all my heart
The ignorance isn’t towards the lgbtq+. The ignorance i see these days is directed by the lgbtq+ into people who got more issues to worry about than some pronouns and someones hurt feelings if we don’t use them correctly.
I may sound like a douche saying it but if i dont identify as one, could you identify me as the one who is right in this conversation?
Trust me when i say that less people care about anyones sexuality or what you got going upstairs, as long as you’re happy. Because there are actual people, with actual issues, facing discrimination just for their existence and you dont see us parading around for them. Imagine a person might be having a bad day and walk by you with a greeting if “Hi, girl/guy”, only to have you tell him off about what you identify as.