SPECTRUM News

LGBTQ2+ Community Capacity Fund News Release

Investing in LGBTQ2 Communities: Minister Bardish Chagger Highlights LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund Recipient in Waterloo Region

From: Canadian Heritage

News release

WATERLOO, Ontario, March 31, 2021

The Government of Canada is working to support LGBTQ2 organizations and the critical work they do to create a more equitable and consciously more inclusive Canada. The government is fully committed to building a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to be their true authentic selves. That’s why, on February 11, 2021, we announced 76 recipients of the first ever LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund.

The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, and Member of Parliament (Waterloo), met with representatives of SPECTRUM Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space today. The organization recently received $279,782 from the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund to support its community-building efforts.

Led by SPECTRUM Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, this project will strengthen the organization’s capacity by improving board governance, developing a strategic plan, and focusing on sustainability, succession, and financial planning. The project will also make better use of evidence, data, information, and knowledge sources through an environmental scan that assesses community needs. On top of that, it will help build capacity by offering skills training as well as sensitivity training opportunities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all Canadians and certain segments disproportionately, including LGBTQ2 communities. Through the $20-million LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund, the Government of Canada recognizes that the work of these organizations is critical for better social, health, and economic outcomes in LGBTQ2 communities, which is why the important work that LGBTQ2 organizations do deserves targeted investments to ensure the sustainability of these communities. See the full list of supported organizations.

Quotes

“The LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund helps advance equity for LGBTQ2 communities by supporting organizations across the country in building new tools, enhancing collaboration, and strengthening organizational development at the local level. The Government of Canada is committed to working with LGBTQ2 individuals and community-led organizations from coast to coast to coast to combat discrimination in all its forms. By supporting projects like SPECTRUM Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, we are working to build back an even better and consciously more inclusive Canada where everyone can be their true authentic selves.”

—The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, and Member of Parliament (Waterloo)

“SPECTRUM is one of 76 organizations that has received capacity building support from the first federal investment in the LGBTQ2 fund. By supplementing existing funds, this will create jobs, improve the quality of life and increase equity for LGBTQ2 Canadians. The Government of Canada proudly supports the work of these essential organizations. Congratulations to all involved.”

—The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

“I am proud of the work that SPECTRUM does to support the LGBTQ2+ community in Waterloo Region. They are a valuable resource in our community. I am happy that they have received this funding to support the expansion of their social programs and web presence. The Community Capacity Fund was created to support organizations like this who are making a difference in communities across Canada.”

—Tim Louis, Member of Parliament (Kitchener–Conestoga)

“SPECTRUM is a welcome and important presence in our community for our LGBTQ2+ neighbours. I am pleased that the Community Capacity Fund will help SPECTRUM expand its presence, build its capacity, and continue to foster a safe space. We must continue to support, affirm, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and I look forward to working with the staff and volunteers at SPECTRUM as they develop new initiatives and partnerships. “

—Raj Saini, Member of Parliament (Kitchener Centre)

“SPECTRUM is grateful for the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund and thanks the Government of Canada for its generous support in helping us build a larger and more stable organization that can better serve LGBTQ2+ people in Waterloo Region. Our new staff team has already done some excellent work in building up our capacity and we look forward to sharing updates about our progress throughout the year.”

—Cait Glasson, Board President, SPECTRUM Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space

Quick facts

  • The LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund call for proposals ran from on March 5, 2020 to May 14, 2020.
  • On February 11, 2021, Minister Chagger and Minister Monsef announced $15 million for 76 LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund projects across Canada.
  • As part of the COVID-19 response, the Government of Canada is investing $350 million in the Emergency Community Support Fund to support charities and non-profit organizations requiring financial assistance to address the impact of the pandemic.
  • In addition to the $20 million investment in Budget 2019 to support capacity building and community-level work by Canadian LGBTQ2 organizations, the Government of Canada has also made the following investments:
    • Global Affairs Canada announced more than $30 million to improve socioeconomic outcomes for LGBTQ2 people in developing countries;
    • The Federal Tourism Growth Strategy includes major investments in Pride events across Canada;
    • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced increased support for LGBTQI refugees fleeing violence and persecution through the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership; and;
    • Canadian Heritage has committed $2 million over two years under the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program for Pride and LGBTQ2 events.
  • On November 27, 2020, as a first step towards the first ever Federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan, Minister Bardish Chagger announced the launch of the public engagement process. Various engagement activities help the Government of Canada better understand the daily realities and experiences of LGBTQ2 people in Canada in areas such as employment, healthcare, housing and homelessness, and safety.

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Contacts

For more information (media only), please contact:

Emelyana Titarenko
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth
emelyana.titarenko@canada.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca

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SPECTRUM News, Volunteers

Anti-Conversion Therapy Steering Committee Volunteer Posting

SPECTRUM, Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, is helping to put together a steering committee of volunteers from the municipalities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge to work for bylaws that would prohibit conversion therapy in our community.

Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE) or conversion therapy (also known as reparative therapy or conversion practices) is any treatment, including individual talk therapy, behavioural or aversion therapy, group therapy treatments, medical or drug-induced treatments, which attempt to change, suppress or deny someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

We believe this type of cruel abuse has no place in Canada.

Ideally, the steering committee will include 2-3 representatives from each municipality. The committee is expected to have its first meeting by mid-April 2021. Initially, committee members would be asked to attend 3-4 meetings per month.

Survivors and allies both are welcome to join these efforts. Survivors who would be willing to share their stories with our municipal councils in person or anonymously in writing are also encouraged to reach out to the steering committee. You can share as little or as much of your story as you are comfortable with.

If you would like to join this steering committee to help advance this work, or if you have questions, please email Mark Hartburg at mark_hartburg@yahoo.ca.

For more information about the nation-wide efforts to ban conversion therapy visit https://www.noconversioncanada.com/

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SPECTRUM News

James Parrott’s Retirement

It is with mixed emotions that SPECTRUM announces the retirement of James Parrott as our Executive Director.

Jim was one of the key founders of SPECTRUM back in 2012 and served as our Board President for some years before taking on the role of Executive Director in 2018. We are extremely grateful for the countless hours and tireless work that Jim put into building SPECTRUM. He leaves our leadership at an exciting time for the organization as we engage in a year-long capacity-building project that will help SPECTRUM evolve to the next level.

We are very pleased that Jim will be able to reduce his work hours and enjoy some well-deserved time off. Jim will continue to volunteer with SPECTRUM, working on the Grand River Rainbow Historical Project, and co-facilitating SPECTRUM Prime.

Thank you, Jim! And congratulations on your retirement from everyone at SPECTRUM. We look forward to being able to celebrate this milestone with an event when the pandemic has relaxed its hold.

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SPECTRUM News

Volunteers Required For Anti-Conversion Therapy Steering Committee

SPECTRUM, Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, is helping to put together a steering committee of volunteers from the municipalities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge to work for bylaws that would prohibit conversion therapy in our community.

Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts (SOGIECE) or conversion therapy (also known as reparative therapy or conversion practices) is any treatment, including individual talk therapy, behavioural or aversion therapy, group therapy treatments, medical or drug-induced treatments, which attempt to change, suppress or deny someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

We believe this type of cruel abuse has no place in Canada.

Ideally, the steering committee will include 2-3 representatives from each municipality. The committee is expected to have its first meeting by mid-April 2021. Initially, committee members would be asked to attend 3-4 meetings per month.

Survivors and allies both are welcome to join these efforts. Survivors who would be willing to share their stories with our municipal councils in person or anonymously in writing are also encouraged to reach out to the steering committee. You can share as little or as much of your story as you are comfortable with.

If you would like to join this steering committee to help advance this work, or if you have questions, please email Mark Hartburg at mark_hartburg@yahoo.ca.

For more information about the nation-wide efforts to ban conversion therapy visit https://www.noconversioncanada.com/

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Media

Gender versus sexuality: the important difference

One of the issues that often comes up when discussing stories concerning the LGBTQ2+ community is confusion between gender identity and sexuality – two terms which refer to very different things but are commonly used interchangeably. In the last ten years, there has been growing awareness of the problems faced by transgender people. But the prevalence of negative responses to things like the coming out of Elliot Page highlight how far we still have to go.

What, then, is the difference? Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of self and the gender they feel like inside, which may or may not align with the gender they were assigned at birth. Sexuality, on the other hand, refers to the types of people someone is attracted to.

Doctors commonly assign infants one of two binary genders – male or female. But this overlooks the existence of intersex people (people whose biology is ambiguous) and erases the existence of people with genders outside the binary. Cultures around the world have included traditions of non-binary gender for thousands of years, of which Two-Spirit Indigenous Canadians are just one example.

For most people, the gender they identify as aligns with the gender they were assigned at birth and they experience attraction to members of the “opposite” binary gender. Because of the stigma against LGBTQ2+ in our society, this presumption of binary gender assigned at birth and heterosexuality is seen as the norm in our culture, while anyone who deviates from those norms of gender and sexuality is seen as deviant. The physical and emotional violence experienced by people with stigmatized genders and sexualities has long kept them silent, which only contributes to the illusion that such experiences are uncommon and abnormal.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible refute these assumptions with data. Governments are only just now beginning to consider the existence of LGBTQ2+ people in their data-gathering efforts. Statistics Canada recently concluded a consultation on the wording of a new question about gender identity and sexuality for the 2021 census, which would mark the very first time a Canadian census has gathered information about transgender, 2-Spirit, and non-binary people. But looking at smaller and more regional surveys of our region and Ontario as a whole shows that LGBTQ2+ people make up between 7% and 13% of the population.

And yet, many schools do not teach the difference between gender and sexuality until grade 8, well after the age in which most people have formed a firm sense of their gender identity and sexuality. And even then, parents have the ability to opt their children out of this curriculum, further contributing to the idea that even talking frankly about the existence of LGBTQ2+ is dangerous and an inappropriate conversation to have with children.

Sadly, the violence experienced by LGBTQ2+ people can never change as long as we continue to enforce ignorance of their experiences in our schools and community.

Basic resources to learn more about gender and sexuality:
Gender: More than just Pink and Blue
SPECTRUM’s LGBTQ2+ 101 Terminology and Reference Guide

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