CAPITAL PRIDE
Focus on the road ahead
Growing up in the Caribbean, Osmel Maynes always knew he was different from the other boys, even his twin brother, but he was well into his 20s before he finally came out.
The new executive director of Capital Pride credits the freedom he felt at Toronto’s Pride parade for giving him the courage to reveal his true self to friends and family at the age of 27.
“I came out late,” Maynes, who’s now 37, said in an interview. “But as a child, I knew that I was the boy who was more prone to maybe picking out a Barbie doll or other things that are not the typical male thing to do. Especially growing up with a twin brother and seeing how he acts and how you act, I knew I was different from the age of five.”
Maynes came to Canada in 2003 to study political science at Carleton University, then moved to Toronto, working his way up from event planning to becoming executive director of a students’ union. He was 25 when he went to his first Pride festival and immediately felt comfortable amid the diversity of the rainbow spectrum.
“I went one day and loved everything about it,” he said. “When I’m at Pride, I feel like myself. I’m able to speak to people a certain way, and I’m not hiding or changing my voice or making false jokes about loving women — although I do love women. I’m just not attracted to them.
“When I finally got to Pride, I said, ‘This is who I am. This is who I need to be.’ That triggered everything for me.”
Maynes, who had been suffering from mental-health issues brought on by the denial of his sexual identity, went into therapy and decided to take some time to find himself, travelling back to the Caribbean to explore his roots. Born in the Dominican Republic, he grew up in the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda. He saw little tolerance for homosexuality throughout the Caribbean, where gay men can be thrown in jail or beaten up.
During his travels, though, Maynes met and fell in love with the man who would become his husband, and brought him back to Canada. His career took a turn, too, as he realized he wanted to be more involved in 2SLGBTQ+ activism.
“I decided after coming out as an Afro Latino queer man that I needed to work within a community where a lot of folks who look like me are represented but don’t have the voice,” Maynes said. “We tend to face discrimination, and it’s not only directed against Black folks but also trans and other marginalized people.”
After a couple of years working with The 519, a 2SLGBTQ+ community
I didn’t want it to only be something where we dance and party, but I also want to make it something that helps us understand where we came from.
centre in Toronto, Maynes took a position with Qmmunity, a similar non-profit in Vancouver. But he missed friends and family in Ontario.
On the urging of his twin, he applied for the newly created Capital Pride position and began his duties in January, just in time for Ottawa’s first Winter Pride event in February. He was thrilled to find a job that combines activism and fun.
“I was so excited,” Maynes said. “Winter Pride was a total success and right after, I started planning for (Capital) Pride. I was organizing events and talking to vendors and sponsors. It was going to be bigger and better. My goal was 200,000 people attending.”
Within weeks, however, the novel coronavirus pandemic hit, and festivals started dropping off the calendar or going online.
At the Pride office, the decision was made to host a virtual edition, which runs Aug. 23-30.
“Pride is never cancelled,” Maynes said. “I wanted to make sure we did a virtual Pride that encompasses every person who is part of the rainbow spectrum. I didn’t want it to only be something where we dance and party, but I also want to make it something that helps us understand where we came from, where we’re going and how we can be better.”
Virtual Pride 2020 features an online series of speakers and performances, some pre-recorded and some livestreamed, including sessions aimed at youths, seniors, francophones, the trans community, HIV-positive people, families and more. Most events are free but some require registration.
Online entertainment highlights include Drag Bingo with Latrice Royale on Aug. 25, the Capital Pride Pageant on Aug. 26, a queer talent show and dance party with DJ Sandy Duperval on Aug. 27, and a pre-recorded Saturday-night spectacle that features Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels singer Todrick Hall, along with performances by iskwē and Ottawa artists The Peptides and Kimberly Sunstrum.
The grand finale of the event is a virtual version of the popular Pride Parade, scheduled for 2 p.m. Aug. 30, that will feature pre-taped messages from businesses and organizations, and video from last year’s in-person parade.
“We’re going to air it again so folks can remember how much fun it is and know that we will be back, hopefully next year,” said Maynes.
For more information and to find links to the online events, go to capitalpride.ca.