It’s a fitting location for a fitting event.
CK Pride will host a community conversation on May 30 at Bill’s Place, recognizing the legacy of Bill Brokenshire.
As CK Pride marks 25 years since incorporation, the organization is creating space to reflect on the people, experiences, and moments that shaped the local community.
Bill’s Place serves as both the office of CK Pride and a community hub where support, programming, and events are offered.
The space is named in honour of Brokenshire, a former Chatham resident who passed away in 2018. Through his will, Brokenshire established a trust fund for CK Pride, recognizing the importance of creating a dedicated space for the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
“Bill’s Place exists because someone believed this community deserved space to exist openly,” said CK Pride officials in a media release.
This event will focus on storytelling, and lived experience. It will be a facilitated conversation where attendees are invited to listen and reflect.
CK Pride will welcome Brokenshire’s longtime friends Frank Marshall, Amir Hanusic, and Richard Sullivan, who are travelling from Toronto and Vancouver to share personal stories and reflections. Their perspectives offer insight into earlier generations of 2SLGBTQIA+ life, when community was often less visible and often built through informal networks and personal connection.
The conversation will explore both Brokenshire’s legacy and the broader context of what it meant to find and sustain community at a time when safety, support and visibility were limited.
The event takes place at 2 p.m. at Bill’s Place, 48 Centre St. in Chatham.
