Read our territorial acknowledgment | Telephone: 226.779.9695 | email us
Visit the Rainbow Community Calendar to see what's happening this week!
What are you looking for?
For people who are 2SLGBTQ+ / queer / questioning:
- Coming out resources
- Mental health and wellness resources
- Queer / Trans inclusive services
- 2SLGBTQ+ Crisis Resources
For non-2SLGBTQ+ friends and family:
- Basic educational resources
- Parenting resources
- Employers and allies
- 2SLGBTQ+ personal stories and experiences
For educators, service and care providers, and community leaders:
Coming Out Resources
- Trevor Project: Coming Out Handbook
- HRC: Coming Out to Your Doctor
- HRC: Coming Out: Living Authentically as Transgender or Non-Binary
- HRC: Transitioning in the Workplace: A Guide for Trans Employees
- Bisexual Index: Am I Bisexual?
- HRC: Coming Out As Bisexual Resource Guide
- HRC: Coming Out as Bisexual to Your Doctor
Mental Health & Wellness Resources
SPECTRUM Trans Wellness Resources
The following resources are taken from a toolkit on trans mental wellness and suicide prevention in response to trans community needs and priorities. This toolkit was developed by Wisdom2Action in collaboration with SPECTRUM.
- Surviving Harassment as a Trans Person
- Transgender Self Advocacy in Healthcare and Social Services
- Understanding Trans Suicide
- Suicide Prevention and Wellness Resources
- Beyond the Binary
Other Wellness Resources
Basic Educational Resources
101-Level Resources
- What does the ... in LGBTQ2+ mean? A guide the complete initialism with definitions and basic concepts.
- SPECTRUM's 2023 2SLGBTQIA+ Terminology Reference Guide covers a range of 2SLGBTQ1A+ topics – from 101 terms to use and terms to avoid to 301 discussions of more complex topics.
- Infographic: Gender is more than Pink or Blue
- What is the difference between Bi and Pan?
- Recognizing Bi/Panphobia
- Recognizing Aphobia
- Recognizing Pride Flags
- What Does It Mean to be Nonbinary?
- Autism/2SLGBTQIA+ Resources from AIDE Canada
- A Guide to Gender Pronouns for Teachers from TeacherCertification.com
- City of Waterloo: Responding to Hate-Motivated Incidents
Transgender and Gender-Diverse Tipsheets
- Addressing Mistakes
- Beyond the Binary
- Breaking from Negative Narratives
- Building Organizational Capacity
- Communicating Your Commitment
- Coping with Anti-Trans Media
- Creating Welcoming and Trans-Inclusive Environments
- Dating and Relationships
- Embracing Inclusive Language
- Ensuring Privacy and Confidentiality
- How to Protect Yourself
- Identifying Support Systems
- Inclusive Practices for Service Providers
- Parents and Caregivers
- Supporting Your Friend
- Trans and Gender-Diverse Self-Advocacy
- Understanding Pronouns
- Understanding Transition
- Working Towards Allyship
Parenting Resources
SPECTRUM 101-Level Resources
For Parents of Trans Children
- Beyond the Binary: how to support trans and gender-diverse people
- Books for trans and gender-variant youth
- Understanding Trans Suicide: an overview of the factors that lead to trans suicide
- Understanding Pronouns: a basic overview of pronouns and their importance to trans and gender-diverse people
- Understanding Trans Communities: a more complex overview of the issues that trans and gender-variant people must deal with as a result of anti-trans stigma
- SPECTRUM: How to correct yourself when you get someone's name or pronouns wrong
- SPECTRUM: What is non-binary gender? a basic look at how to interact respectfully with non-binary people
Other Basic Resources
- HRC: Just As They Are - protecting children from the harms of conversion therapy
- HRC: Preventing Substance Abuse Among LGBTQ2+ Teens
- HRC: Safer Sex for Trans Bodies
- HRC: Supporting Your Young Gender Non-Conforming Child
- HRC: Supporting and Caring for Transgender Children
- HRC: Talking to Grandparents and Other Adult Family Members
- HRC: Getting expert care for gender-expansive children
- HRC: Talking to Doctors and Medical Providers
- HRC: A Parent's Quick Guide For In-School Transitions
Employer and Ally Resources
Employer Resources
- Pronouns at work: a guide for employers and managers on implementing inclusive pronoun policies in the workplace
- All-gender washrooms: tips for signage and implementation of all-gender washrooms
Ally Resources
Other Ally Resources
2SLGBTQ+ Personal Stories and Experiences
SPECTRUM Videos:
Other SPECTRUM Resources:
"Not Queer Enough": Findings from our focus groups of Bi / Pan, Ace / Aro, and other people who have experienced queer gatekeeping in Waterloo Region
Other Resources
- I'm From Driftwood: A site for queer and non-queer people to learn more about themselves and each other through the power of storytelling and story sharing.
- It Gets Better Videos: thousands of It Gets Better Videos from a diverse community to inspire and empower.
Fact Sheets
Research Reports
Classroom toolkits
- Gender Spectrum: Resources for Educators
- OK2BME: Activities, curriculum, and resources for educators looking to teach about LGBTQ2+ issues and support LGBTQ2+ students at all grade levels
- Stopbullying.gov: Bullying Prevention and Training Resources
- American Psychology Association: Bullying Prevention Resources
Tools for service and care providers
This best practice guideline (BPG) is a comprehensive document that provides guidance and resources for
evidence-based nursing practice. It is not intended to be a manual or “how-to” guide; rather, it is a tool to guide
best practices and enhance decision making for nurses, health-service organizations, care providers, and other community stakeholders.
Other SPECTRUM Elder Care & Healthcare Resources
Grand River Rainbow Historical Project
Celebrating the lives and times of rainbow folk in Grand River countRy
The goal of the Grand River Rainbow Historical Project is to document the history of the various rainbow communities in the Grand River region of Southwestern Ontario. The scope of the Project is intended to be inclusive of all rainbow communities, including, but not restricted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirit, intersex, queer, questioning, fluid, and asexual communities.
Geographically, the designation Grand River has been used to make it clear that the communities of Waterloo Region and Wellington County are both included, whilst leaving open some leeway to include communities in other areas of Ontario that are adjacent to the Grand River or some of its tributaries.
Blog Posts
SPECTRUM offers a safe place where 2SLGBTQ+ individuals can be themselves and find community and supports.
SPECTRUM
Waterloo Region's Rainbow Community Space
Boehmer Box Building
283 Duke Street West, Unit 210
(corner of Duke St W and Breithaupt)
Kitchener, Ontario Canada N2H 3X7
Visit our calendar for drop-in hours
Telephone: 226 779-9695
info@ourspectrum.com
SPECTRUM's Privacy Policy
SPECTRUM acknowledges the truth that we are situated on the Haldimand Tract, which is the traditional land of Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Anishinaabe nations. We also recognise the Chinonton Peoples of what has come to be known as the Neutral Nations, a people entirely eliminated by the colonisation of this land. Read the complete statement here.
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