.
Queer Ontario will be giving a deputation at the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee meeting this Wednesday, April 20th, in response to the discussions that will take place around Pride Toronto’s Compliance with the City’s Anti-Discrimination Policy, the City Manager’s ruling on the non-discriminatory nature of the phrase “Israeli Apartheid,” and Councillor Mammoliti’s talks of de-funding the Pride festival. Given the importance of these discussions to LGBTQ people in Toronto and across Ontario, we are calling on individuals like you to come to this meeting and show your support!

What are the details?

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 am sharp and will take place in Committee Room 1 on the second floor of City Hall (100 Queen Street West, Toronto). Given that the Anti-Discrimination Policy is the very first item on the agenda, we recommend you come early — say, at 9:00 am — to increase your likelihood of getting a seat.

What if you can’t attend the meeting?

No worries! You can also get involved by submitting your comments to the Committee Secretary at exc@toronto.ca, by phone at 416-392-6627, or fax at 416-392-1879. The Secretariat’s name is Frances Pritchard.

If you want to learn more…

A summary of the issues that will be discussed by the Executive Committee at this Wednesday meeting can be found here.

A copy of the City Manager’s ruling on the non-discriminatory nature of the phrase “Israeli Apartheid” can be found here.

And the motion that stated it all, made by Councillor Mammoliti and seconded by then-Councillor Rob Ford, can be found here.

We hope to see you there!

The Queer Ontario Steering Committee

.

.

.

Thanks to everyone who came out last night to “Sex Ed, GSAs and Religion in Publicly Funded Schools – an educational forum”! Over 100 people showed up, engaged, contemplated and discussed! Thanks to our sponsors, supporters and fantastic panelists! Lastly, thanks to you, the in house audience, as well as those following online for joining us and for supporting LGBTQ youth!

Moving forward, there were two important announcements made last night that we want to raise again here.

On Thursday, April 28^th, Queer Ontario will be hosting a Community Strategy Meeting to discuss what we can do to support students in their quest to form Gay Straight Alliances. Come on down and join us from 6-8 PM at the 519 (519 Church St.) as we work together to ensure that these students rights to form a GSA are restored.

Secondly, we are pleased to announce the creation of the “Queer Ontario GSA Defense Fund”! This fund will be used to empower students in their struggles to get GSAs in their schools and is already growing thanks to the generous collective donations exceeding $300 took in at the Forum last night. If you’d like to donate to the fund, you can send a cheque to Queer Ontario, PO Box 822, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1G3 noting in the memo that the funds are for the “QO GSA Defense Fund” or, you can donate online through PayPal – again, please make sure to note the donation is for the “QO Defense Fund” in the “Contact Details” section.

Thank you for your continued support and work around these issues and see you on the 28^th!

.

.

.

Queer Ontario is pleased to announce that it will be participating in the 519 Community Centre’s LGBTQ Volunteer Fair this Sunday, April 10, where some seasoned Queer Ontario members will be on-hand to speak to you about who we are, what we do, and where we’re headed. So if you’re interested in meeting some of these members or are interested in joining one of our Committees, then make your way down and say hello!

The event will run from 12:00 noon to 4:00pm in The 519 Auditorium. For more information, please visit the 519 Community Centre website, or the 519’s Volunteer Fair’s Facebook page.

.