HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt and Area Pride Network is moving its events online for Pride month.
A virtual rainbow coffee and virtual parents of the rainbow session is currently in the planning stages.
Parents of the rainbow is a networking group for any parent or guardian of anyone who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, two-spirit, intersex, asexual or more (2SLGBTQIA+), while rainbow coffee is a 2SLGBTQIA+ youth networking group open to any 2SLGBTQIA+ community members who are 18 or under.
Andrew Matheson, Humboldt and Area Pride Network’s chair, said that since the COVID-19 restrictions were first implemented, they haven’t been able to host any of their networking sessions.
“We wanted to use this month as a check-in,” Matheson said. “Usually we take our summers off from it, but because people haven’t been able to connect, we’re going to use this month as our ‘push back into everything’ and let people connect and network again.”
Matheson said once the restrictions are lifted, they intend to do some education activities with the parent sessions, and the virtual parents of the rainbow will serve as a way to learn what people would like to learn.
Since Humboldt Pride traditionally takes place in August, the organization is currently planning how to celebrate it with COVID-19 restrictions in place.
“We’re still going to be working at getting a proclamation done for the City of Humboldt to recognize a pride week in August and also some virtual events that we’re not 100 per cent sure on yet,” Matheson said. “We’re looking at doing another virtual rainbow coffee, virtual parents of the rainbow, and maybe like a story time session.”
The planning meeting to go over details is expected to take place around the end of June.
For the safety and confidentiality of those who are attending the meetings, any community members who wish to join the rainbow coffee or parents of the rainbow will be required to get the link through contacting the Humboldt & Area Pride Network by email at humboldtandareapridenetwork@gmail.com, or messaging their Facebook page at facebook.com/HumboldtSKPride.
“As humans we need connection and that networking piece in our lives. So with the amount of time we spend in isolation, allowing the means of people to network and have that social connection again is important, especially for rural queer youth who already might feel isolated.”
