Pride brings own rainbows as drizzle dampens picnic

JACKIE WALLACE

The sun didn’t shine, and a steady, cold drizzle never let up as a crowd gathered at the pavilion of Sylvia Grinnell Park last Sunday.

But the Iqaluit Pride and Friends of Pride picnic was brightened by rainbows that splashed colour around the pavilion.

A crowd of about 75, adorned with flashy beads, festive stickers, proud face paint and temporary tattoos, stayed cozy by a wood stove, enjoying the music of The Road to Nowhere Band and accidentally dying their teeth every colour of the rainbow with the vibrant icing of the festive cakes.

Maureen Doherty, a founding member and treasurer of Iqaluit’s Pride organization, buzzed around with her grey schnauzer Molly, both wearing their Pride with rainbow scarves, welcoming both human and canine newcomers.

“The picnic has grown to be a broad community event,” says Doherty. “It’s about support and celebrating diversity.”

Stephanie Hawkins, the organization’s president, agrees that the picnic created a new awareness of Pride. “The support of the community has really coalesced over the last few years,” she says.

The pot of gold went to Premier Paul Okalik when Hawkins proclaimed him the recipient of this year’s Rainbow Ulu Award for his government’s work in establishing the Nunavut Human Rights Tribunal and for working toward equality for all people in Nunavut.

Okalik was unable to attend and Markus Weber, the deputy minister of justice, accepted the award.

Doherty was thrilled to blow her bright shiny whistle and announce to the crowd that Pride, a non-profit organization that relies on donations, received more financial support this year than any other.

“We have gone far and gotten a lot of positive feedback,” says Hawkins. “Pride has brought Nunavut into the light as a diverse and tolerant community in the North.”