Northern Pride

Northern Pride was a project that worked with the community to raise awareness about issues that face lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, and queer (LGBT2Q) youth. A major part of it was helping with the establishment of Gay-Straight Alliances in the public high schools of Thunder Bay and providing workshops for educators, youth, and the community.

A Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) is a student-run club that provides a safe space for students to meet. These clubs can take on many functions. Some GSA's are a support groups for helping students who are questioning their sexual or gender identity. Others increase awareness about sexual orientation, gender identity, sexism, and heterosexism. Some are activist groups that work to increase the representation of LGBT2Q issues in school curriculum, community resources, and local policies. Regardless, every GSA provides chances for LGBT2Q students and straight allies to socialize, like offering movie nights.

People often mistake GSA's for dating services or places for gay kids to hang out. But really, a GSA can be very diverse. It might have lots of straight allies or lots of LGBT2Q students. To be fair to everyone, many GSA's don’t have “gay” in their names, such as "Pride Central," "Rainbow Collective," and "Spectrum."

When the local public high schools established GSA's, Pride Central discontinued its Northern Pride campaign. However, if you would like us to come to your school or would like more information about Gay-Straight Alliances, please contact us.