‘Creating more safe space,’ Fort Smith celebrates Pride

Residents young and old came out to celebrate Pride in Fort Smith over the weekend with drag performers hosting many activities.

The Frank Gruben Pride Festival was organized by Ryker Lonehardt, a 17-year-old transgender student from Fort Smith.

Lonehardt said the response to the event was “overwhelmingly positive.”

“Everyone’s been super nice, have been asking questions and have overall been so supportive,” they said. “I could not ask for a better turnout and a better group of people to celebrate this with.”

Many people came out to festival events wearing rainbow and Pride-themed outfits, hair and makeup.

“I’m just really excited that this is creating more safe space for everybody and making it so that they can express themselves,” Lonehardt said. “I feel like this event is a real launching point for that and I’m really hoping to see more of that this summer.”

While the town has held Pride marches in previous years, this is the first time it has celebrated Pride month with a festival.

The weekend featured a drum circle, drag bingo, karaoke, drag performances, dancing, music, raffle prizes, vendors, crafts, a drag brunch and drag story time.

Patricia Heaton, who helped Lonehardt in organizing the festival, said the response was “phenomenal” and it means “hope and trust” for the community.

“We were a bit nervous about how the community was going to react, but it’s actually been really welcoming,” she said.

“Especially for the teenagers who are LGBT or starting to question, coming out in a small town can be very challenging and fearful, but I’m hoping they’re going to see the reception that these queens have had here and be empowered by that.”

Maxim Smith, a young transgender man who lives in Fort Smith, said he was “really proud” of the event where he enjoyed trying out drag, meeting new people and spending time with his friends.

“Hopefully for more future youth, it could provide more of a space that is safer and more open-minded so hopefully younger people will feel safer in the community, be more accepting,” he said.

“I really hope that this continues and next year we have even a bigger show up.”

Alex James, who goes by AJ, is a non-binary asexual artist in Fort Smith who sold ceramics and watercolours at the festival. They said the Pride celebration was “an opportunity for people to be their true selves.”

“It was an interesting journey, discovering who I was. It’s difficult to kind-of figure that out sometimes in small towns, when you don’t see anybody like you,” they said. “Part of my expression is being true to myself so other people feel comfortable being themselves as well.”

AJ said one of their favourite events was “an unofficial gay brunch” on Saturday morning.

“We all just got together and, to me, that’s what Pride is about, coming together with your community,” they said.

‘Bring Frank home’

Another aim of the festival was to highlight the search for Frank Gruben.

Frank, a Gwich’in-Inuvialuk man from Aklavik and a member of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, was last seen in Fort Smith, where he was attending college, on May 6, 2023.

Leonhardt said Gruben “was a big part of the community” in Fort Smith and many people want to “bring Frank home.”

“I want people who are coming to the North to feel safe here. I want college students coming who feel safe here. I want families who are coming up here to feel safe here,” they added.

“Being more inclusive, it just benefits everyone. No one gets hurt in the process. And that’s really why I’m holding this festival and why it’s so important.”

Heaton noted little progress has been made in resolving what happened to Frank over the past year, while the territorial government is still working on a Missing Persons Act.

“We’re hoping that just by putting his name and the information out for the RCMP, that it will drive some people to come forward and answer these questions for the family,” she said.

Meet the drag performers

A large feature of the Frank Gruben Pride Festival was getting to meet drag performers.

Lonehardt, who performed as drag persona Corex Nova, said the weekend was his first time fully dressing in drag.

“For me, drag is just an expression and it just lets me reclaim things I felt like I couldn’t express as a trans person before,” they said.

Lonehardt said they developed the persona during last year’s evacuation from Fort Smith. They explained Corax comes from the scientific name for ravens – corvus corax – while Nova was inspired by the night sky and northern lights.

“I missed a lot of that when I was down south,” he said. “Those are really big parts of my life and my life here in Fort Smith.”

Drag performers Gemma Emma, CandyPop, Slickeur and Thunder Normz also travelled from Yellowknife to perform at the festival alongside Liberty Wild, who is from Fort Smith.

Kenneth Coleman, otherwise known as Liberty Wild, said he began performing in drag in Vancouver when he was 18 years old.

“I know when I was a younger person, the feelings of not knowing where you belong or where you fit in, where you’re finding your tribe, was a little bit of a journey for me. And I went elsewhere for it,” he said. “So to see that here in my hometown is a really beautiful thing and I’m really glad to be part of it.”

Coleman said for him, drag is a form of expression.

“Nine to five I’m still myself but I don’t get to express all of myself, because glitter is really hard to get out of carpet,” he said.

“So drag is a great avenue for that and I think it’s really healthy.”

Coleman said Fort Smith is “such a strong community” that is able to accomplish a lot when people come together. He hopes the festival will bring more open-mindedness and experience to the town.

“I’m really looking forward to the future,” he said.

Em Raby, who performs as Thunder Normz, said it was important to dedicated the festival to Gruben as Pride – as well as being a celebration – forms a protest to support people whose rights are being encroached upon.

“We have a backdrop of this kind of festival that brings joy and life and love to the queer community in Fort Smith, but also can raise continued awareness across Fort Smith and across the territory and across Canada,” Raby said.

Raby made their debut drag performance in Yellowknife last June and said they have received a lot of support and love from the community.

“It’s been a wild ride,” they said.

“Getting into drag for me is very gender euphoric.”

Raby said the city’s drag scene is “burgeoning,” adding they are hosting a four-part drag workshop as part of Pride events in the city this month.

Gemma Emma, who goes by Michael out of drag, agreed. They said drag is a form of self-expression and entertainment.

“There needs to be more drag and I want to be on the front line of that,” they said.

Ady McLeod, who performs as Slickeur, said they were introduced to the art of drag through their burlesque career. They said they were excited to get the invitation to visit and perform in Fort Smith for the first time.

“I love any chance to connect with other parts of the North,” they said. “As a more experienced performer as well, building connections for arts through the North is something that’s very important.”

McLeod said the festival and tribute to Gruben is important as “being queer is still political” and is part of “sustaining the queer community throughout the North.”

“We have a wonderful queer person who is part of a community who has gone missing,” they said.

“It’s not just our kind-of standard ‘let’s fight homophobia, let’s fight transphobia,’ it’s also ‘let’s support searching for members of our community who are loved and support in other ways that are important for community building.'”