INUVIK - They didn't fly any rainbow flags or parade in the street, but the organizers of Inuvik's first-ever gay pride event tried to send a clear message of tolerance, even though no one from the local gay community joined their ranks.

Only a handful of people showed up to the Centennial Library during lunch hour on Friday, Aug. 13, where organizer Val Robertson was waiting with free food and an assortment of pamphlets on everything from homophobia to workplace discrimination, as well as a petition calling on Stephen Harper's Conservatives to reinstate funding for a variety of human rights programs.

A handful of people showed up to Inuvik's first gay pride event Aug. 13 for free food and information on lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trans-gendered (LGBT) community resources. From left, Mary Aulin; Janet Boxwell; organizer Val Robertson, Inuvik regional vice president for the Union of Northern Workers; and Ruth Wright. Similar events also took place the same day in Yellowknife, Hay River and Fort Smith. - Katie May/NNSL photo

Robertson is the Inuvik regional vice president for the Union of Northern Workers, which sponsored the event along with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), United Steelworkers Union and the NWT Teachers Association. Gay pride events were also held at the same time in Yellowknife, Hay River and Fort Smith. The Yellowknife event drew upwards of 100 people, but only about four residents - all of whom identified as heterosexual - stopped by to show their support locally.

"Maybe it's too scary for some people," Robertson said. "That's a phobia they'll have to get over - it's an attitude problem."

Robertson estimates, from her contacts, that 10 per cent of Inuvik's population - about 35 people - belongs to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trans-gendered (LGBT) community. She said that when people in town heard she was organizing the event, many automatically assumed she was gay.

"If this is the public attitude, what is the attitude at work towards these people?" she said, adding her organization and the community as a whole has a responsibility to guard against discrimination.

"This is just to raise awareness in the North that we have people among us who are different," she said, adding that she was not overly concerned by the low turnout considering it was the community's first pride event.

Janet Boxwell, who has lived in Inuvik for nearly three years, is originally from Vancouver said people there, in a major metropolitan centre, are generally more open about gay issues.

"I wasn't aware of the gay community here and I was curious about how accepted it is here," she said. "I think there is a stigma still attached to it."

Jean-Francois Des Lauriers, the Yellowknife-based regional vice president for PSAC North, said this year's gay pride events had a more political motivation, after the Conservative government discontinued tourism stimulus funding to Toronto's Gay Pride Festival this year.

"The labour movement is a strong supporter of human rights and has been fighting against discrimination in the workplace, specifically," he said.

He said organizers plan to make gay pride celebrations annual events across the territory, where he said anti-gay attitudes still exist.

"The attitudes are prevalent of homophobia and transphobia - it's no better or worse than anywhere else but it's definitely here," he said. "I'm glad that there were events outside of Yellowknife, because usually these events take place only in the capital and it's important that the message reaches out to communities such as Inuvik as well," he added.

"There might not have been a huge turnout this year, but we'll be working at it and making it bigger every year."

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