The Nipissing University Student Union is hosting a Pride BBQ to celebrate Pride Month. The afternoon of activity – and food – runs from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Nipissing University Student Centre at 221 College Drive. The event itself is in the Courtyard behind the Student Centre, so be mindful of that.
It’s a free event, and everyone is welcome. You don’t have to be a student to attend.
Tyandra Miller, the Vice President of Advocacy and Awareness for the Nipissing University Student Union, and Sofia Cornejo, of the university’s Equity Centre have been working hard to produce the event, which has been running for the past few years.
“It was a really great opportunity to be a part of planning it,” Miller said. “I know there are other people around North Bay – and not just the student body – who are queer and are part of the community and may want to learn about the community.”
Same goes for everyone, she noted, “I think that having it a community event is really good to just open people’s eyes to what’s out there and that every culture, every community can be celebrated.”
Celebrating Pride and supporting the LGBTQIA2S+ community through events like this hits particularly close to home for Cornejo as well. “For me personally, it is also very special,” she said.
“I’m not a Canadian,” she noted, hailing from Columbia, “so for me, seeing events like this is huge. I’ve never seen something like that. I’ve never seen Pride celebrated so pridefully,” she added.
“In my country, it’s just not something that’s talked about, so seeing it celebrated by the school, and having the community actually going and enjoying this, is huge for me.”
And Wednesday’s celebration is primed with an afternoon of events including face painting, do-it-yourself tie dye, lawn games, snacks and of course, organizers promise some “tasty barbeque” from the grill.
A DJ will spin tunes throughout the barbeque, and the Equity Centre helped out by organizing a drag show, featuring Kazkovi, Queer Al, Virgo Mary, Misty Lane, and Golden Switch. Also, there will be a bar, and folks can purchase drinks throughout the event.
Both the Student Union and the Equity Centre host events throughout the year, so keep an eye out for upcoming notices. Miller assured that even though Pride Month comes to an end when June flips to July, “the celebration of pride never stops.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
