ManitobaMarchers took to Main Street in Steinbach, Man., on Saturday, wearing their finest sparkled cowboy hats and boots for the Queer Country Fair, an event organized after a September Pride event in the city was cancelled. ‘We deserve to live here safely and without bullying or threats,’ organizer of Saturday event saysChristopher Gareau · CBC News · Posted: Oct 25, 2025 7:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 7 minutesThe Queer Country Fair event was held in Steinbach, Man., on Saturday, after a September Pride event was cancelled due to threats, organizers said. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)It took about three days after a Steinbach Pride event was cancelled last month for Tara Sheppard-Luangkhot to come up with the idea of a new country fair. The event, held Saturday, was important so “we can continue to celebrate who we are and not let far-right threats or bullies scare us out, because we deserve to live here too,” she said.”We deserve to live here safely and without bullying or threats.”The Pride march planned in the southeastern Manitoba city in September was postponed after organizers said they received serious threats against a performer that could have put attendees’ safety at risk.Despite safety concerns, organizers agreed it was necessary to find a way to celebrate who they are in an area of the province that’s known for religious conservatism and proud of its rural roots.That led to Saturday’s event, where family-friendly drag performances, art and classical music melded with the country flair of live animals and folk tunes. Marchers took to Steinbach’s Main Street wearing their finest sparkled cowboy hats and boots.Sheppard-Luangkhot lives in the area and was supposed to have a booth at the September Pride event for her organization, the Organization for Peace, Equity and Nonviolence. It provides therapy and support to trans and queer kids, and to their parents. Southern Health funds the free programming.Sheppard-Luangkhot said Saturday’s fair was meant to heal those in the Steinbach area’s queer community, many of whom have held on to a religious faith.”There’s many of us here who are also very spiritual, who actually do have a relationship with God,” she said.She proposed the country fair idea to local resource centre Band of Colours in mid-September.Safety concerns meant there was no public promotion, but the 100 tickets to the event, titled the Queer Country Fair, still quickly sold out.An alpaca was part of the celebration at Saturday’s event. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)Chickens with tutus, an alpaca and a lot of what organizers described as “sparkly” country wear were on display at the event.Volunteer and performer Gabe Nayet, who wore their country boots, a plaid shirt and a John Deere hat, said there are similarities between the tight-knit communities of their country and queer identities.”I see a lot of queer people feeling very connected to nature and interested in plants and that kind of thing, and you see the same thing in the country,” said Nayet, who took to the stage as Mx Fruity Farmer Saturday.”So I feel like there’s a lot of overlap between the two communities that people don’t necessarily see right off the bat.”Extra securitySteinbach RCMP, Ste. Anne Police and private security were called for Saturday’s fair, following the cancellation of September’s event.The cancellation of Steinbach Pride in September was financially devastating for Band of Colours, said executive director Angelica Brunger.The non-profit resource centre was relying on the event to sell tickets to a December holiday concert, but Brunger understands the safety concerns then and now.In September, Steinbach Pride’s board said it had received tips through “word of mouth” that individuals had made verbal threats against the Pride event in “retaliation” for the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, a right-wing political influencer.“It’s such a different type of threat because Charlie Kirk was murdered. He was shot in public. Threatening to retaliate to that degree is a serious threat,” said Brunger.She says she started Band of Colours to fill a gap she saw in help for people in situations like hers in 2019, when she was 17 years old and a new Steinbach high school graduate. The non-profit now runs a weekly drop-in on Fridays.Steinbach Deputy Mayor Michael Zwaagstra said he hadn’t heard about the new Queer Country Fair, but said the threat towards a Pride performer in September was unacceptable in his city.”I would always condemn any threats of violence. That’s always unacceptable. In any free and democratic society, the people have the right to express their opinions and to go to events they want, and not go to the events they don’t want,” said Zwaagstra.”That is how we’ve always done things in Steinbach. Steinbach is a safe and welcoming community.”RCMP said in a Friday statement they ended their investigation into September’s threat towards the Steinbach Pride performer because they could not find the threat posted on social media.Steinbach Pride was not directly involved in organizing the Queer Country Fair.Sheppard-Luangkhot said that not publicizing the fair, and instead using networks through family, friends and organizations like the United Church, meant attendees could focus on the celebration rather worrying about any hostility.Finding love and acceptanceMusic lover Cheryl Costen came out in her 50s and was introduced to Kate Tate as someone to jam together. About 10 years later, they became a couple. Both attended Saturday’s fair.Tate was at the first Steinbach Pride march in 2016 and found it welcoming. Costen has a very conservative family member in Steinbach who has accepted who she is and her partner, she said.”I know there’s people that are way more … right-wing than she is, so we just thought it was important to come out and support the community,” said Costen.But Sheppard-Luangkhot said she felt some discrimination from places she thought would be supportive.”We had businesses who put Pride symbols on their door, but when we asked for a donation of first-aid kits to protect our guests in the event of injury, they refused and they said they didn’t believe in our event. So we call that ‘performative allyship,'” she said.Ste. Anne Coun. Jason Einarson, whose town is 15 kilometres north of Steinbach, stepped up and found first-aid kits, Sheppard-Luangkhot said.Deputy Premier Uzoma Asagwara was in the front row to take in the folk music and drag performances on Saturday after being invited by organizers, along with Winnipeg MLA Logan Oxenham, who spoke on behalf of Families and Gender Equity Minister Nahanni Fontaine. Local Conservative MLAs and Steinbach politicians were not invited, which Sheppard-Luangkhot said was to avoid having them let word slip to acquaintances who might show up to protest the event.Organizers are not sure if they will publicize the next Queer Country Fair, which they hope to continue every year in a larger venue with more time to plan.Performer Nayet said there are ways people in their country community can do more to help make life better for people in their queer community.”A lot of the people who are committing these crimes who are harming us and doing harmful behaviour towards us — even if that’s just micro-aggression — they’re not going to listen to us necessarily as much as they’re going to listen to someone who they see as one of them,” said Nayet.”So by having straight allies, other Christians who are straight, supporting us and standing up for people, by using the right pronouns for someone, by correcting people when they’re saying something that’s harmful to anyone … that is so much more helpful.”ABOUT THE AUTHORChristopher Gareau is a CBC Manitoba reporter based in Steinbach who covers the province’s southeastern region. He has previously covered southeastern Manitoba in print, and worked in radio and print in northwestern B.C. and southwestern Ontario. You can reach him at christopher.gareau@cbc.ca.
Queer Country Fair celebrates Pride, rural roots in Steinbach after threat led to cancellation of march
