By: Stacy Kelly
"What don't I know?"
Is an essential question we should ask ourselves if we want to be better allies to 2SLGBTQ+ (2 Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer+) communities. For example, while homosexuality was decriminalized in Canada in 1969, it was not until 2017 that gender identity and gender expression were written into the Canadian Human Rights Act. Conversion therapy was only made illegal in Canada in 2021. Last year, Canada became the first country to count Trans and Non-binary people in the census. Even though many of our rights gains are recent, they’re often misunderstood and frequently intentionally misrepresented.
Recent demonstrations in Kingston and across Canada opposing the teaching of gender identity and gender expression in schools, which directly targets Trans and Non-binary people, illustrate how anti-2SLGBTQ+ activity is growing. But we also saw the power of effective allyship in response to those demonstrations, as 2SLGBTQ+ folks and their allies showed up in far greater numbers.
These events also serve as an important reminder that the learning we take part in during Pride Month needs to continue throughout the year to combat rising anti-2SLGBTQ+ sentiment. As president of the Queer Alumni Chapter, I want to keep having those conversations with alumni. We all have gaps in our knowledge but we’re each responsible for educating ourselves and putting in the work that true allyship requires.
What is allyship, you might ask? Egale Canada Human Rights Trust defines allyship as “a process of standing up for and with people who experience marginalization. An ally is someone who believes in the dignity and respect of all people and takes action by supporting and/or advocating with groups experiencing social injustice.” Or, as my amazing former colleagues at The 519, remind us, “allyship is a verb.”
Allyship requires each of us to do the work of answering “what don’t I know” about 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and then acting in solidarity. Thankfully, there are plenty of helpful resources available, created and curated by members of queer communities, to guide our learning. In Kingston, we’re fortunate to have vibrant 2SLGBTQ+ organizations in our community, such as Trellis HIV & Community Care.
In Toronto, The 519 has been providing community support for 2SLGBTQ+ folks since the 1970s. They offer an online course called Fostering Queer and Trans-Inclusive Environments at Work & Home. A great starting point for allies, the course teaches you about common terms used to express sexuality and gender diversity in Canada. It also offers guidance on how to use and respect people’s pronouns, recognize the difference between sex, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation in the context of Ontario’s Human Rights Code, and understand affirmation and allyship and their importance as ongoing practices.
Similar queer community groups exist across Canada and are a good starting point for allies. I like:
Kind Space in Ottawa,
LGBT YouthLine,
QMUNITY in Vancouver,
Pride Centre of Edmonton,
Calgary Outlink,
Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg,
Centre communautaire des gais et lesbiennes de Montréal (CCGLM),
Monarch Drop in in Fredericton,
Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project (NSRAP) in Halifax.
This is a short list and there are so many other groups across Canada that reflect the resilience and commitment of our queer communities to resist and to foster belonging and care.
Many of you have already begun your allyship journey and are looking for additional resources in the face of rising backlash to queer rights in Ontario, Canada, and around the world. One organization providing actionable next steps is armyoflovers.ca, the advocacy and mobilization arm of The 519, which commits to fighting with and for the rights of 2SLGBTQ+ folks. The U.S.-based Human Rights Campaign also provides an LGBTQ+ allyship guidebook.
At Queen’s, supporting queer folks is about more than allyship, it's also about creating space for queer alumni to come together and create community. That's why we formed the Queer Alumni Chapter in 2021.
During the height of the pandemic lockdowns in 2020, a group of queer alumni – inspired by the emergence of the Queen’s Black Alumni Chapter and Queen’s Indigenous Alumni Chapter – were independently thinking about how they could help connect 2SLGBTQ+ alumni with each other. That initial group included Gage Benyon, Artsci’19, Jennifer Reynolds, Com'13, Nichola Burnside-Marshall, Artsci’19, MPA’20, and me. After some ambitious conspiring over Zoom about our vision and mandate, we expanded the inaugural organizing committee, adding Kianah Lécuyer, Artsci’19, Guy Raffaele, Sc’86, Sheri Krell, Artsci’08, MIR’09, and Kiah O’Flanagan-Tasse, Artsci’19. I’m so grateful to each of these amazing alumni volunteers who have given their time, passion, and labour to help make the chapter possible.
Our name choice was deliberate. We use “queer” to represent 2SLGBTQ+ members, and aim to be inclusive of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, 2 Spirit, and Non-binary persons. We also recognize the importance of intersectional identities (race, religion, gender, ability, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc.) to members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities and strive to reflect this importance across all aspects our chapter through diverse representation on our organizing committee, the nature of our events, and beyond.
The Queer Alumni Chapter has hosted discussions, piloted a mentorship program with the Queen’s Student Alumni Association to connect queer students with queer alumni, organized pub nights in Toronto, taken part in Homecoming, and co-organized the award-winning Missing & Missed event.
We’re always looking for new ways to provide value to the 2SLGBTQ+ communities that are connected to Queen’s. We believe our secret sauce is connecting 2SLGBTQ+ students and recent graduates with queer alumni in meaningful ways to help foster a sense of belonging. To that end, we plan to partner with and highlight the wonderful team and impact of Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion. Yellow House seeks to be a safer space for QTBIPoC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and/or as People of Colour) students to create community. And we plan to intentionally partner with the many queer student groups on campus to forge affirming pathways for their life after Queen’s.
To do this work and build this type of community, we need help. Whether you are free to help with one event, can participate for a few months at a time, or are willing to commit to a multi-year term, the Queer Alumni Chapter runs on the strength of our volunteers and can use your support.
Finally, I’d like to invite 2SLGBTQ+ alumni, students, and their allies to join us for our next event in October. Part of Homecoming weekend, we’ll be hosting our second annual Queer Alumni Chapter Mix and Mingle, at the University Club from 4:30-6:30 pm on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023. I hope to see you there!
