Pansexuality is a sexual orientation which is not limited by gender. It is defined as an attraction to all genders, including trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people.
Pansexual Pride Day is an annual celebration of the pansexual community, which recognizes, celebrates and brings visibility to those who identify as pansexual. It is celebrated on December 8 each
The 1st of December is an important day, marking not just the beginning of the holiday season for many, but the recognition of World AIDS Day. This important date is a time to recognize those who have been lost to the HIV/AIDS pandemic over the past four decades, as well as to celebrate life, activism, and continued progress toward a cure and combating stigma.
A United Nations study found that, by 2020, between 27.2 million and 47.8 million people have died as a result of AIDS, and that another 37.7 million are currently living with HIV. Luckily, thanks to years of scientific work and public health campaigns, as well as activist efforts, the death rates and stigma around HIV/AIDS have plummeted
By Mike Ott
Why do we celebrate Pride Month in June? Why is Pride marked by a parade? Why do we so often hear about Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and other LGBTQ2S+ heroes this time of year? These are common questions that many have, and they all reach back to the same root answer: the Stonewall Riots.
In June of 1969, an event took place that is considered by many to be the igniting spark of the modern queer rights movement.
Here’s what happened: In the very early hours of June 28, 1969, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a Greenwich Village institution on Christopher Street that served as a popular gathering place for queer people. Finally having had enough, patrons and other community members fought back, resisting police aggression and violence.
This resistance effort, now known as the Stonewall Riots, extended into the following days and nights, eventually culminating in the formation of several activist groups fighting for the right to live openly and legally regardless of sexual orientation.
One year later, in 1970, members of
Are you an 18+ trans woman, transfeminine individual, or nonbinary person looking for support? Are you questioning or exploring your gender identity? Do you have questions about coming out to partners, family and friends, coming out at work, social transition, medical and legal transition? Are you looking for community and a place to discuss your trans experience during the pandemic? Toronto Pflag's new transfeminine and nonbinary virtual support group may be for you!
The group will be a trans and nonbinary safe space, facilitated by trans feminine folx. It will be held on the third Thursday of each month, from 7:00-9:30 pm.
Please email: transfem.enby@torontopflag.org to register, or for more information.
Pink Shirt Day, or Anti-Bullying Day, is on February 22nd and it’s a day all about kindness, inclusion, unity and compassion. It’s a day for people to come together by wearing pink shirts to school or work to show that they are against bullying.
How did Pink Shirt Day Start?
Pink Shirt Day started in 2007 in Nova Scotia when two grade 12 students
Erin's Guide to Kissing Girls is an irresistibly sweet, humorous, queer-positive teenage romcom, the type of movie so many wish they had growing up. Written and Directed by Toronto-based award-winning queer filmmaker, Julianna Notten, Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girl is charming and fun, with stellar performances from the leading trio.
Erin’s chance to kiss a girl might finally be here, but can she complete this middle school mission without losing
HQ Health Hub is a community‐driven collaboration among 10 Toronto agencies to provide a different, more effective model of health care for Ontario’s gay male, trans and non-binary populations. Despite the health inequities they experience, these groups are not able to access health services that would make a difference in their lives. HQ is the culmination of many years of planning to respond to the complex unmet health needs of these groups.
HQ opened in July of 2022 as an easily accessible, safe, welcoming space for cis guys into guys and all trans and non-binary people regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, HIV status, socio-economic status, immigration status, or ability. HQ is a transformational
WPATH, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, is a worldwide professional association devoted to promoting evidence based health care for trans people. Their Standards of Care (SoC) guide governments, medical associations, and clinics across the world in setting protocols for the psychological, medical, surgical and related care of trans people. In Ontario, the protocols and criteria used by doctors and by the Ministry of Health in funding Gender Confirmation Surgeries (GCS) are largely based on the WPATH SoC V7 (although in Ontario, informed consent access to hormones is supported).
In September, WPATH released the new Standards of Care V8 which has some very exciting changes that will increase accessibility to gender affirming care, and reduce gatekeeping. Long-term, as this version is adopted
November 6th was Trans Parent Day, a day first established in 2009 to celebrate and honour transgender parents, in addition to (or in place of) traditional Mother’s or Father’s Day, this day also includes parents who have transgender children.
Pflag volunteers asked Amanda Jetté Knox what Trans Parent Day means to them as a Canadian nonbinary best-selling author who is also a Trans Parent and tells a powerful story of love and acceptance when their child and their spouse transitioned. More recently they also came out as nonbinary themselves.
"Trans Parent Day is an important step in recognizing that both trans people and life outside the binary are normal parts of parenting. Celebrating the act of parenting, rather than specific roles, highlights the actions parents take rather than their gender. No matter who we are, the goal is to love our children unconditionally and support them in being the best version of themselves."
~ Amanda Jetté Knox, (@MavenOfMayhem on Twitter)
For more on Amanda's book Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family here is a book review written by Pflag Parent Giselle.
A big thanks to Scarborough Toyota, who awarded Toronto Pflag $5000 through their charity program. We applied for funding to pay for a program to bring LGBTQ2S+ affirming books to Toronto elementary schools. We are thrilled that our proposal was selected and we will be able to move forward with this program! We are still in the early stages of planning, but if you are interested in volunteering with book distribution when we get to that stage, please email kathy@torontopflag.org. We may include books that feature trans kids, families with two moms or two dads, and the idea that it's okay to be different. In an era where some locales are banning books like these, we are excited to be able to increase access to such inclusive stories about love and acceptance.
October is municipal election month, we go to the polls on October 24, and advance polls are already open! There are several issues that are important to the health, well-being, and prosperity of the Toronto LGBTQ2S+ community. If you're a parent, partner, or family member of a queer community member, please talk to your candidates and keep these issues in mind as you make your voting decision.
Homelessness is rampant among LGBTQ2S+ youth. especially those, who are not accepted and supported by their parents, who make up 21% of the youth in shelters, and struggle to find shelter space where they feel safe and their identities respected; violence and harassment of queer youth in shelters is common. Housing affordability is also a major issue for the LGBTQ2S+ community, especially the trans community. A 2018 study found that 45% of trans respondents lived in unsafe or unstable housing, and 22% suffered housing discrimination. ("From Surviving to Thriving", Toronto Trans Coalition Project). Housing struggles for the trans community are exacerbated by employment barriers and lack of income security with the median income for the trans community being in the mid-20 thousands, unemployment rate of 17% and 40% in precarious work (same study). Access to gender affirming care is another issue for trans people with far too few resources, and long waiting lists, including for vulnerable trans youth. Finally, rising hate in Canada is leading to increased violence against the queer community; homophobic hate crimes in Canada were up 64% in 2021.
We would love to see these issues discussed during the upcoming municipal campaign. Let's discuss adding new housing options for queer youth, and training to increase cultural competence of staff around queer youth. Candidates could discuss employment programs for trans people and programs to promote the benefits of trans inclusion to Toronto employers. We'd love to see candidates talk about the need to have more physicians providing gender affirming care and the fact that training and support is available. Or perhaps the need for the city to fund a gender affirming clinic to reduce waiting lists. We also need candidates to have an open discuss about the increasing rise of homophobic and transphobic hate in media and on the streets, and how it can be combatted.
We'd also love to see more queer representation in municipal government, making it easier to achieve progress on our issues. Queer politicians often understand our issues "from the inside", from their own lived experience. Representation also matters, seeing members of our community working on council will make the LGBTQ2S+ community feel more included.
While queer representation would be beneficial, there are candidates for school boards in this election running on "anti-woke" platforms; they campaign against schools accepting and supporting LGBTQ2s+ students. To support your queer and trans loved ones, please stay well away from these regressive candidates.
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