Fierté Sudbury Pride rebranding itself to reflect more of the community

Sudbury's pride organization is re-branding itself to be more inclusive. 

Fierté Sudbury Pride is a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organization that supports the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. It is redesigning its logo, website and social media accounts.

The group recently conducted a survey to gauge the community's thoughts and 18 people responded, saying the group's current logo and brand is "outdated" and does not accurately represent or recognize two-spirit, transgender, or racialized or Indigenous people who now make up a larger percentage of Greater Sudbury's population.

Fierté Sudbury Pride's board chair Aspen Groom, says they have undertaken the re-brand to figure out "how do we better incorporate all of those groups who have maybe just been ignored in the past or just overlooked?"

"It's really coming from a place of trying to better represent the community we actually serve and we're actually a part of," they said, adding that they want to make more space for those who don't "fit into Western queer identities."

"Hopefully when people see our content, they are aware of where they would fit in and they feel seen," said Groom.

Designing a new logo that best encompasses those traits is in the hands of Jayden Ode'imin, a two-spirit Indigenous artist and graphic designer from Sudbury who is collaborating with Fierté Sudbury Pride. 

Ode'imin helped create and facilitate the survey, and is now taking the feedback into consideration when creating the group's new logo.

"I'm hoping it will seek to represent identities that are not often brought to the forefront when we're talking about pride," said Ode'imin. 

"And I'm hoping that the community can have some grace to have some respect and understand, like, how difficult it is for some people to be existing as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community."

Fierté Sudbury Pride is hoping to unveil the new logo in time for its Pride Week festivities in July.

The group is coming off a tumultuous 2024, where its previous board members resigned amid controversy. Last year's Sudbury Pride parade was cancelled after some people in the community refused to take part if police officers were present, saying police involvement would be inappropriate.

Groom said the organization is in a better place now and it is planning to hold a smaller march this year, as part of a downtown block party.