We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee , and most recently, the territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
This territory is also covered by the Upper Canada Treaties.
Today, the meeting place of Toronto (from the Haudenosaunee word Tkaronto) is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.
World AIDS day and the beginning of Indigenous AIDS awareness week, a time of reflection and for honouring all lives impacted and lost to AIDS.
From its onset to today, the global AIDS epidemic has shaped queer politics. In the face of government inaction beginning in the 1980s, 2SLGBTQ+ activists and community organizations played a central role in establishing some of the first HIV/AIDS community groups in Canada, many of which grew into essential AIDS Service Organizations that continue the life-saving work of HIV/AIDS support, education, and prevention.
Queer Ontario celebrates the lives of all those we have lost, the steadfast persistence of HIV/AIDS activists who have fought, and continue to fight, through support, education, and prevention, against the ongoing discrimination and stigma aimed at people who are living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, and the courage of those living with HIV today.
Undetectable = Untransmittable.
Silence = Death.
?: General Idea, AIDS, 1987 (Acrylic on canvas); General Idea, Untitled (AIDS with cockroaches no. 2), 1993 (Gouache on paper).
Today is Trans Day of Remembrance, for which we have annually memorialized those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. At Queer Ontario we want to remind everyone that this act of remembrance must happen everyday, in our work, our involvement in the communities we serve, and in our personal lives. We remember all the Trans, Intersex, Two-Spirit and NB people, that have been lost to all of us. We also must remember those that are still with us and the daily struggles of Trans, Intersex, Two-Spirit and NB people that should always be reflected in our work and our lives.
Today is Trans Day of Remembrance, for which we have annually memorialized those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. At Queer Ontario we want to remind everyone that this act of remembrance must happen everyday, in our work, our involvement in the communities
The Ford government introduced legislation on October 31, 2022, that was fast-tracked into law on November 3, invoking the notwithstanding clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This legislation forcibly imposes a four-year collective agreement on CUPE workers in Ontario’s public school system, quashing their union’s legal right to free and fair collective bargaining and job action, including the right to strike.
The provincial government’s use of the notwithstanding clause to override workers’ rights sets a chilling precedent with serious implications for all workers. Bill 28, The Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022, removes or limits the rights and protections of workers under the Ontario Human Rights Code, while limiting the jurisdiction of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, arbitrators, and other tribunals.
Queer Ontario condemns the Ford government’s unprecedented legislation!
This government’s flagrant misuse of the notwithstanding clause is a precedent-setting overreach in its assault on labour relations, fair collective bargaining, and human rights. Ford, and Education Minister Stephen Lecce, are targeting the lowest compensated workers in the education system, many of whom are racialized and two thirds of whom are women.
In a world in which democracy is increasingly under attack, it is appalling to see that the Government of Ontario under Ford has decided to join that attack by weakening the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Queer Ontario stands in solidarity with CUPE’s 55,000 education workers across the province as they fight for better working conditions, quality public education that meets student needs, including those with special needs, and for economic and labour justice.
Keep the pressure on! Write your MPP! Expand the strike!
The Pressing Issues Survey
We are still receiving feedback through our Pressing Issues Survey, to get a sense of the issues facing LGBTQ* Ontarians today. A link to the survey can be found here.
The Queer Ontario Think Tank
We are also accepting written and other multimedia works for our ideas space -- the Queer Ontario Think Tank. To read more about it, or to learn how to submit a work, follow the link here.
Queer Ontario is a not-for-profit organization operating on funds provided to us by our generous and capable supporters. Your donation will be channeled directly into our projects and operations, which will help us continue our educational and reformist work.
Unfortunately, because our mandate is deeply political, we cannot acquire charitable status and, as such, will be unable to issue you with a charitable tax receipt. We encourage your support in light of this systemic shortfall.
You can use our one-time donation option as many times as you would like:
Or, you can become a sustaining donor by contributing to Queer Ontario on a monthly basis.
We appreciate your ongoing generosity and support -- The Queer Ontario Steering Committee.
