PowerfulXNature: Pride, LGBTQ+ Identities and Realities and Allyship

Date: June 25th, 2018
Hosts : Jeneace & Rhiannon
Guests : Faith, Giselle, Trystan
Topic : Pride, LGBTQ+ Identities and Realities and Allyship

This week, Jeneace and Rhiannon hosted a Pride episode on Pride, LGBTQ+ Identities and Realities and Allyship . Jeneace began with a brief history of Pride in Toronto, outlining how the 1981 Bathhouse raids in Toronto that saw police storm 4 gay bathhouses and arrest about 300 men sparked protests that evolved into Toronto Pride. She also discussed Black Lives Matter Toronto’s successful protest at Pride in 2016 that challenged the organization’s racism and police presence at Pride.

We began our interviews with Giselle from SOY H.E.A.T. Giselle and the hosts had an honest conversation about the struggles queer and trans youth face coming to terms with who they are and thriving. From wide spread transphobia and ignorance about different queer, trans and non-binary identities to the many risks of coming out before you’re ready and/or financially independent from your family, LGBT+ youth face numerous challenges today. After we wrapped up our interview with Giselle, we talked to Trystan, Director of Family Formation at the Family Equality Council and a gay trans dad who conceived, gave birth to one of his children and decided to talk publicly about the experience with his partner Biff. Trystan talked about the importance of dispelling monolithic understandings of the ‘trans experience’, including the idea that all transmen want their bodies and experiences to look just like the bodies and experiences of cismen, and he highlighted the importance of supporting and celebrating the many types of LGBTQ+ families that exist and that have always existed.

Finally, we interviewed Faith, one of the co-founders of Pieces to Pathways . P2P is a peer-led initiative and Canada’s first substance use support program for LGBTTQQ2SIA youth ages 16-29 in Toronto. Faith talked about the importance of having programming for the LGBTQ+ community led by community members and about the many services Pieces to Pathways offers from harm reduction drop-in groups, including one specifically for QTBIPOC youth, to drop in counselling services. ___________________________________________________________________________
To learn more about Jessie’s Centre and/or the Community Education Program, please visit: www.jessiescentre.org .

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @PowerfulXNature

Find Trystan at @biffandi on Twitter and Instagram and at https://www.biffandi.com//

Find SOY H.E.A.T at http://soytoronto.org/programs/soy-heat​ Find Pieces to Pathways at @PiecestoPathways on Facebook, @p2p_toronto on Twitter or call (647) 209-2043.


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