FAS celebrates Pride Month and Indigenous History Month

Pride and Indigenous History Month Flag

Pride Month is meant to celebrate the LGBTQ2+ community, which includes individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit as well as a range of other gender and sexual identities. It’s held annually in honour of the Stonewall riots, which took place in New York City in June 1969.

In January, Queen’s University with the support of the Faculty of Arts and Science officially announced the formation of a new Employee Resource Group Queen’s University Association for Queer Employees designed to create a more inclusive and supportive workplace for LGTBQ2S+ employees at Queen’s University.

In another FAS first, Professor Steven Maynard acted as a historical consultant in the first LGBTQ+2 Historica Canada’s Heritage Minute focusing on Canada’s LGBTQ2+ history during Pride Month in 2018.

This month, Cultural Studies doctoral candidate Ben Schnitzer joined the LGBTQ2 Secretariate with the Government of Canada as a senior policy analyst, and will help to develop Canada's first national LGBTQ2 Action Plan.

June was also declared National Indigenous History Month by the Government of Canada in 2009, following a unanimous motion in the House of Commons. It was established to recognize the First Nation, Inuit, and Métis people who have helped shape Canadian history, as well as celebrate their culture and heritage.

Given the recent discovery of the remains of children of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, the faculty is recognizing this time as a period of mourning. FAS recently issued statement in solidarity with the  Queen’s statement on the Kamloops Indian Residential School burial site made by Principal Patrick Deane, Provost Rahswahérha Mark Green, and Kanonhsyonne Janice C. Hill, Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation), and the Statement on Kamloops Indian Residential School made by Kandice Baptiste, Director, Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre.

Anyone needing support, please contact:

  • Lisa Doxtator, Cultural Counsellor, lmd9@queensu.ca
  • Wendy Phillips, Elder-in-Residence, w.phillips@queensu.ca
  • National Indian Residential School Crisis Hotline - 1-866-925-4419
  • Empower Me - 1-833-628-5589