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It’s official! Bills 13 and 33, Ontario’s anti-bullying and gender identity bills, were given royal assent today at 3:15 pm. This means that the bills have officially become law, marking a new era for LGBTQ rights and recognitions in Ontario.
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An Invitation to Celebrate!
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Queer Ontario will be hosting a Victory Party on Saturday, June 23rd at the 519 Community Centre’s Ballroom, where we will have some special guests, light food, and of course: some cake! Event details can be found on our website, here, and on our Facebook Page, here.
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Information about Bill 13 can be found here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=2549

Information about Bill 33 can be found here: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=2574
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We hope to see many of you there!
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The Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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Hello Everyone,

This is just a quick note letting you know that Queer Ontario will be making its way out of Toronto this weekend to attend both the Hamilton and Thunder Bay Prides!
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HAMILTON PRIDE
(This coming Saturday, June 16, at the Hamilton Pride Rally)
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Nick Mulé, the Queer Ontario Chairperson, will be speaking at the Hamilton Pride Rally at City Hall this Saturday, June 16, which takes place right before the annual march to the Pier. Speeches are set to start at 11:00 am, so make sure to come out bright and early to get yourselves riled up for the march.
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Nick will be able to hang around a bit shortly after the speech,
so make sure to locate him and say hello!
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THUNDER PRIDE
(Also this coming Saturday, June 16, at Pride In The Park)
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At Thunder Pride, we will have Casey Oraa, the Queer Ontario Vice-Chair, who will be at Pride In The Park on Saturday, June 16. This event takes place at Marina Park from 12:00 noon to 6:00pm. Casey will be giving a few words, and will have a table with Queer Ontario stuff set up for most of the afternoon. So make sure to approach him and say hello, too!
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Information about Thunder Pride can be found here: http://thunderpride.ca
Information about Hamilton Pride can be found here: http://www.hamiltonpride.org
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We look forward to finally meeting many of you in person!
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The Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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Hello Everyone,
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This is a quick and joyous note to let you know that, as of 10:04 am today, Ontario became the first province in Canada (and the second jurisdiction, after the Northwest Territories) to accept ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds in its Human Rights Code. That is, Toby’s Act — or Bill 33, a bill to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds in the Ontario Human Rights Code — ceremoniously passed third reading and is set to receive royal ascent in the next couple of days. (Xtra!’s story, here: http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Ontario_passes_trans_rights_bill-12122.aspx)
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A special note of thanks goes out to NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, Liberal MPP Yasir Naqvi, and Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott for supporting and championing this fourth version of the bill. And, of course: to the Trans Lobby Group for its unfaltering activism.
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Indeed, here’s hoping that the related bills being considered federally and in Manitoba are just as successful,
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Martin Otarola
Queer Ontario Secretary
On behalf of the Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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