The Frank Gruben Pride Festival is raising awareness of Frank Gruben’s case as supporters celebrate the life of the unforgettable young man three years after he disappeared from Fort Smith.
Ryker Jaxson Lonehardt, who is the festival’s main organizer, says the goal is to help find Frank Gruben by calling attention to his story and creating a space where 2SLGBTQIA+ persons can feel safe and be honoured and celebrated.
“Frank is so much more than just a missing person’s case. He is a person, he’s not a statistic, and that’s something I really want to emphasize.”
Frank Gruben’s Pride festival begins today in Fort Smith.
Lonehardt says he decided to begin the event in 2023, when he heard Frank had gone missing.
Gruben, who had moved to Fort Smith from Aklavik for studies was a member of the close-knit 2SLGBTQ1A+ community there.
Gruben had just turned 30 at the time of his disappearance and was last seen in the community on May 6.
In the spring of 2023 Lonehardt remembers he was at a thrift store in Fort Smith, volunteering. He started talking with a fellow volunteer about Frank’s disappearance.
At the time Lonehardt was just 16 years old and had just come out as Trans.
“I want to do something I want to do a private festival,” Lonehardt remembered saying. He then got in touch with Frank’s mother.
The goal of holding the gathering was to raise awareness about Gruben in a space where 2SLGBTQIA+ people can feel comfortable and safe.
“Hopefully, making it more comfortable for people to be able to come forward with information and just making the LGBT community here in Fort Smith feel safer.”
Lonehardt is encouraging anyone with information to go to the police
“If someone really wants to help push this case forward. They need to go directly to the RCMP and talk to them.”
With the new Missing Persons Legislation, years in the making, enacted in the N.W.T. earlier this year, Frank’s mother Laura Kalinek has a lot of hope it will bring change, she told North Now earlier this year.
With the Missing Persons Act, police can get a hold of information and tracking information on devices like cell phones, explained Kalinek.
“Now that the Missing Persons Act is out there, let’s get this going. We need to work together. We also need to bring my son home.”
Kalinek spoke about the importance of moments to reflect and take time to heal as being critical.
“It’s so important to pray, especially when you are in a situation like I am with my son.”
Her family and community have not been the same since Gruben’s disappearance.
“Every day I try to be happy, so I smile that’s who I am and that was exactly my son, he was always so happy, he was never mean, never judgmental,” said Kalinek.
Kalinek urged anyone with information to come forward, reach out to police or contact Crimestoppers
“Because I’m getting information sent to me and I can’t do anything. That’s third party, you have to inform the RCMP,” said Kalinek.
“There’s a lot of people out there that know something.”
Lonehardt is also advising anyone who has information about Gruben to go directly to the police.
“Always with the festival, from the beginning, was trying to bring more awareness to Frank’s case,” said Lonehardt.
Three years after Gruben’s disappearance, Lonehard continues organizing the festival, despite obstacles including a disability and challenges in accessing resources.
The festival has grown in a relatively short period of time. While Lonehardt is happy to see crowds growing, he wants to ensure the festival continues to be centred on Gruben and on trying to get more information to bring him home.
Gruben’s case and his story only carried more importance and urgency as time passed because his disappearance “hit close to home” for Lonehardt.
“When Frank disappeared, I was 16. I was completely terrified, because at the time, I had just recently come out as Trans. Just seeing another member of my community just vanish, it really scared me, and it scared a lot of Queer people in the community. It was just a scary time because LGBT people are at much higher risk of that sort of thing, let alone Indigenous Queer people.”
The community has largely been supportive of Frank Gruben and 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, yet there are still painful gaps.
People should not be afraid to ask questions and to speak up, said Lonehardt. People in the community and Gruben’s family, are still searching for him and searching for answers.
Lonehardt has continued organizing the festival in Gruben’s honour because he feels a strong desire help Gruben and his family.
“Frank is so much more than just a missing person’s case. He is a person, he’s not statistic, and that’s something I really want to emphasize.”
“Because Queer people aren’t statistics, we’re people. And it’s so sad and it’s such a shame that Frank disappeared. I really hope that he can be found and brought home. And that can bring some closure and healing to the family and the community.”
Lonehardt had met Frank in brief interactions before he disappeared.
“I’ve never really got a chance to know him, which I wish I did, but he just seemed like such an amazing person that I really wish I had a better chance to get to know.”
From the stories told by everyone who knew him, from family to friends and acquaintances, Gruben was and is deeply loved by everyone around him.
“It’s both heartwarming and saddening because such an amazing person was taken.”
The festival celebrates activities that Gruben’s family and friends remember he enjoyed doing.
Lonehardt talked with Gruben’s mother about the activities that brought him joy.
“I specifically talked to Laura about this because I was like, what did Frank like to do? I want to make sure I’m including things that he would want to see in Pride.”
Lonehardt said he is working on ways to include more activities in the future that reflect Gruben’s passions and his Gwichʼin and Inuvialuit roots.
The Frank Gruben Pride festival is about Frank Gruben and about Pride. People who attend the festival celebrate and commemorate Frank Gruben as a person who touched many people’s lives and continues to touch their lives.
“This is also to help make Fort Smith a more safe and accepting community, but I started this because of Frank,” explained Lonehardt.
“I was frustrated with how little LGBT Pride stuff there was in Fort Smith, like I’ve lived in Fort Smith my whole life they’ve only ever painted the crosswalks a handful of times in town, and now I’m very happy to say that we have been doing the crosswalk painting for two years now.”
2SLGBTQIA+ people and Indigenous persons face increasingly disproportionate risks of discrimination and hate crime. While it seems to be happening more in places like the U.S., it also remains a problem in Canada
Lonehardt hopes that people take time to educate themselves and be mindful of their actions, including their words.
“Think about how your words, what you say, and how you say it. Think about what you say and how you say it.”
Lonehardt emphasized it’s important to do that especially at a time when 2SLGBTQIA+ people are facing increasing discrimination and in some cases even being denied rights that others might take for granted.
“Be kind. Think about what you’re going to say, and if you have questions, there’s no harm in asking questions. A lot of Queer people are very open if you have question,” said Lonehardt.
“If you don’t know, you don’t know. As long as you’re open and willing to learn, that’s what’s important.”
The Frank Gruben Pride festival is scheduled to take place Friday to Sunday in Fort Smith.
