Calgary Pride week officially kicked off on August 26. It’s an annual event where thousands gather to celebrate the diversity of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Pride in Calgary has a 35-year history and now has one of the fastest growing parades in Canada. But the legacy of discrimination against the community and ongoing impacts are important to recognize.
- Canada is home to approximately one million people who are 2SLGBTQ+, accounting for 4% of the total population aged 15 and older in 2018.
- According to the CMHC, nearly 1 out of every 3 unhoused young people in Canada identifies as 2SLGBTQIA+ and are twice as likely to experience severe poverty.
- Family conflict following when a young person comes out as LGBTQ+ is the leading cause of homelessness among 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
- 41% of 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians had a total personal income of less than $20,000 per year, compared with one-quarter of their non-LGBTQ2+ counterparts.
Exclusion can make it more difficult for many Calgarians, including 2SLGBTQ+ people, to access jobs and services, and to feel welcome and supported in the community. VCC has been exploring what steps our staff, leadership and community can take to advance allyship and inclusion over the past year. As we continue this journey, here are some resources with a 2SLGBTQ+ lens to explore.
- Check out these Tips on how to practice 2SLGBTQI Allyship
- A LGBTQ2S+ Interagency group, Queer Compass, created a centralized resource database for Individuals and Service Providers living and working within the gender and sexually diverse community.
- 2SLGBTQ+ refugees are leading the pride parade in partnership with the End of the Rainbow Foundation. Queer communities in over 70 countries continue to face prosecution for their gender and sexual identity.
- Check out this photo project by Jack Jackson and Deb Klein celebrating trans and queen rescue pet owners.
- Check out the Calgary Public Library’s Read with Pride: Teen Edition.
- The Stonewall Recovery program, an addictions treatment program for queer youth in Calgary, is opening next spring.
- Skipping Stone provides affirming care to trans and gender-diverse youth, adults, and families.
