Students reviving Pride Club after pandemic shutdown

Students, alumni and staff are working to bring back the campus Pride Club after it shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students at a resource fair in the Student Commons on May 13 were greeted by a new club hoping to launch at Algonquin College this semester. The Pride Club is eager to gather 2SLGBTQI+ students and other allies.

The newly formed club, created by students, alumni and a professor, aims to establish a student-run organization that will continue to thrive long after its organizers have moved on.

“In the past, we had here at Algonquin the Pride Centre, but it was shut down during the pandemic, and now we want to launch a Pride Club and just start having more and more initiatives related to this population,” said Fabricio Lacerda, a research assistant in the Victimology Research Centre at Algonquin College.

At the resource fair, the club was accompanied by two other organizations to provide additional information for students. On one side, there was a table for on-campus services with the student’s health and wellness zone. On the other side, Max Ottawa provided information about its programs and services for queer men, trans and non-binary people.

Diana McGlinchey, the principal investigator of the Victimology Research Centre and a professor in the victimology program at Algonquin College, said the club is intended to help students feel more supported and connected.

“I hope that people that are coming to Algonquin potentially from outside of the Ottawa area that don’t know about resources available here or don’t have a social network here will be able to, again, learn more about themselves as individuals, be able to grow into themselves potentially and also just find a safe, close-knit group that they can spend time with and be their self with and feel like they’re part of a community that values them and their identity,” said McGlinchey.

With students constantly coming and going, members noted that the club’s future depends on finding new leaders every few years to keep the club active.

“The club, we hope to run this semester, run by students. So, every semester, we need to see if they can take that position as club leader. Here, college may just have, like, a one-year program, two-year program, maximum three years. The period of time is too short,” said Danny Nhu, a member of the club.

Despite the challenge, the goal remains clear. A simple campus fair is now part of a broader effort to build a lasting club, giving representation and community to people.

“We’re going to build a Pride Club this semester,” said Nhu.

“We want to hear more about the ideas, how we want to run a Pride Club, what kind of support resources, or what kind of activities you want inside the Pride Club.”