Take a moment to stop and celebrate who you are.

That is the message Brock is sending to each member of the University community as it readies to mark LGBTQ+ Pride Week on campus.

Festivities run from Saturday, March 24 to Wednesday, March 28 and include a series of events that are open for everyone to attend.

While Pride Week is traditionally observed in June, the decision was made to host a second week of events earlier in the year when more students are on campus, said Brock Human Rights and Equity Advisor Michelle Poirier.

“We want to reach out to as many students as we can,” she said, adding the June celebration will still take place at Brock.

An official launch for LGBTQ+ Pride Week will take place Monday, March 26 at 11:30 a.m. in Market Hall.

People are encouraged to share photos of various Brock Pride events online using the hashtag #BrockUPride.

Brock Pride Week events:

Saturday, March 24

An all-ages drag show presented by Brock Pride will be held at Isaac’s.

Doors open at 8:30 p.m. followed by the show at 10.

Tickets, available at the door, are $5 for Brock students and $10 for non-Brock attendees.

Monday, March 26

• Pride Week launch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Market Hall. Join Brock President Gervan Fearon and student leaders for the official launch of the week with speeches and free cake. The launch is sponsored by Brock’s Human Rights and Equity office in partnership with BUSU Advocacy.
• The Indigenous Solidarity Coalition at Brock will host Two Spirit Celebration in Sankey Chamber from 6 to 8 p.m. Speakers will include Linda D. Hampton Burgess, ‘Okie,’ Reverend Sandi Mansfield and Luke Nicholas. Light refreshments will be included. The event is sponsored by Indigenous Solidarity Coalition, CUPE 4207 and ATU Local 1602. 

Tuesday, March 27

• Building a Positive Space at Brock will be held from 11 a.m. to noon in the Student Justice Centre, TH252. Sponsored by the Human Rights and Equity office, the informal discussion will explore what positive space means, how institutions have approached this programming, current needs and what positive space could look like in 2018.
• Queer People of Colour will host a group potluck and panel discussion from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Justice Centre, TH252. The discussion is by and about queer black, Indigenous and people of colour on campus and in the community, and will explore the importance of visible safe spaces. The event is sponsored by OPIRG.
• Hershel Russell presents the workshop, “Nice Gender! Did Your Mom Pick That Out For You?: How Gender Identity is Shifting in This New Generation,” in Room 110 of the International Centre from 5 to 8 p.m. Russell is a psychotherapist in private practice and has designed and led workshops on trans issues for social service, medical, governmental and educational organizations since 2003. He aims to make it easy to raise difficult or embarrassing questions in his workshops. The event is sponsored by the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies

Wednesday, March 28

• The intro-level workshop, Suicide Intervention for Weirdos, Freaks and Queers, takes place in the Alan Earp Residence Fireplace Lounge from 9 a.m. to noon for staff and faculty, and 1 to 4 p.m. for students only. The workshop is for people who want to build and share skills around supporting people in their lives who are suicidal, with a particular focus on supporting people for whom mainstream mental health services are not likely to meet their needs. Registration is limited to the first 25 registrants and can be done by emailing humanrights@brocku.ca. The workshop is sponsored by Human Rights and Equity office in partnership with Residence Life and Brock Pride.
• Tai Jacob will present, “Gender Blender: Discussing Trans Inclusion in the Academy,” in the Student Justice Centre, TH252, from 5 to 7 p.m. Jacob will speak about trans inclusion on university campuses: the possibilities and limits of inclusion, what it could look like materially and structurally, and why we need to be critical of certain discourses on inclusion. The talk is sponsored by Human Rights and Equity office in partnership with Brock Pride.

For more information on these events or for accommodation requests, contact 905-688-5550 x6859 or humanrights@brocku.ca