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Advocate finding comfort in being outspoken

He says more community members, allies and corporations are reaching out for resources to be more inclusive
2018-06-04 Timmins Pride6 Week MH
Mason Charbonneau at an event in 2018. Maija Hoggett/TimminsToday

Timmins has changed and continues to change in exciting ways, says Mason Charbonneau.

“As a teenager when you feel alone and isolated, you think ‘I’ll have to leave’, but people don’t have to leave. It’s all here now.”

Growing up in Timmins, Charbonneau wasn’t always made to feel safe in his identity, but he says speaking out about his experiences is important.

“The opportunities to have my voice heard can be uncomfortable but I’m learning to find a comfort in being outspoken because it just encourages others to share their opinion,” says Charbonneau.

Timmins’ shift has been slow, but it’s speeding up, with educational resources being requested and available more often, and support for events like the Pride parade growing every year.

“There used to be protesters but it was always minimal,” he recalls. “It never really dampened the mood or the party.”

With Fierté Timmins Pride celebrating its 10th year in 2023, the city is showing how inclusive it can be with businesses and individuals opening up to more LGBTQ2S+ people in the community.

“We’ve had a lot more allies get involved,” he said. “We’re having community members, allies, corporations saying they want to be more inclusive and they’re reaching out for those resources."

Charbonneau, who is a trans man, has worked with young people who may be struggling with their own identity with the Timmins Youth Wellness Hub and recently with Fierté Timmins Pride and he sees the differences that acceptance in the community can make on a personal level.

“It just makes you feel a little bit easier walking through those doors," he says.

That change hit hard when he took part in the flag-raising at city hall for Pride Week in September. The experience was almost surreal.

“That was something special,” says Charbonneau. “It meant more to me than anything because growing up in Timmins, you hear a lot of derogatory language being thrown around and it was not a safe place to be.”

The flag raising showed Charbonneau just how much that had shifted through the years.

“To be standing there at city hall and have Kristin Murray standing there and saying, yeah, this is acceptable and something to be proud of, it was like a full circle moment," he says.

That connection to others in the community can be the biggest help to those who are struggling.

“If we can just find each other, we’re like little birds calling outside when we hear our song, it’s important to be connected like that."

He says that while many young people may feel alone, there is a community and resources out there, and things can get better.

“You will find your other little songbirds somewhere!”


Amanda Rabski-McColl, LJI Reporter

About the Author: Amanda Rabski-McColl, LJI Reporter

Amanda Rabski-McColl is a Diversity Reporter under the Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the Government of Canada
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