A week of online activities to help educate, inform and entertain Brock’s two-spirit, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (2S&LGBTQ+) communities and their allies will run from Friday March 26 to Thursday, April 1.

Student Justice Educator Michelle Mudge said the week has become an established part of the University’s Winter Term.

“Folks have been organizing Pride Week at Brock for a few years as students tend to be more engaged in extracurricular programming during the academic school year,” she said. “We want to carve out spaces to highlight, honour and celebrate the awesome 2S&LGBTQ+ communities at Brock during a period of heightened engagement from students. These spaces are also crucial for gender and sexually diverse students to build a sense of belonging at Brock, which is more important than ever in these virtual times.”

With events including virtual movie screenings, fitness classes and informative workshops, the week has become a favourite part of the school year, said Brock Pride Club member Rabia Choudhary.

“It allows for 2S&LGBTQ+ students, faculty and community members to come together and celebrate our queerness and pride in a series of amazing events,” Choudhary said. “This week helps foster safe spaces for folks to learn, grow and share their pride like no other, and although it is virtual this year, I know that our pride will still shine through.”

Peer 2 Peer support member Talia Ritondo said this year’s online events were made possible by a number of partners across the Brock and wider Niagara community, including Brock’s Office of Human Rights and Equity (HRE), the Student Justice Centre (SJC), the Brock Pride Club, Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU), Faculties, departments and others from around the University and beyond.

“Collaboration is key for Pride Week,” she said. “It’s an excellent chance to bring together departments and community organizations who care about creating an inclusive community at Brock. We’re particularly excited to welcome back filmmaker Roy Wol and fitness instructor Rucha, two passionate Brock alumni committed to creating local and international change for 2S&LGBTQ+ communities.”

Along with the full calendar of events, Brock will also fly the University’s modified all-inclusive flag throughout the week.

Mudge said the array of activities and the flying of the flag serve as a reminder to carry on the goals of Pride Week through the entire year.

“We also recognize the importance of uplifting the 2S&LGBTQ+ community and challenging trans / queer/ homophobia all year round, which is reflected in our frequent provision of 2S&LGBTQ+ programming like workshops, trainings and events at the Student Justice Centre and Brock Human Rights and Equity,” she said.

Brock Pride Week events

Brock 2S&LGBTQ+ Pride Week from Friday, March 26 to Thursday, April 1.

The Garden Left Behind Screening and Panel
Friday, March 26 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Registration link

Participants are invited to watch the award-winning film The Garden Left Behind on Amazon Prime with Brock HRE, and then tune in on Facebook or YouTube to watch and interact with a panel featuring the film’s producer, Brock alumnus Roy Wol, and actresses Carlie Guevara and Ivana Black. A discussion will take place about the film’s narrative surrounding trans-rights, 2S&LGBTQ+ rights, creating intersectional and intergenerational spaces, immigration issues and more.

Viewing the panel is free, although participants will need an Amazon Prime account to watch the film (students can get a six-month free trial — details on ExperienceBU).

Open to the public, the event is sponsored by Gender and Sexual Violence Support and Education, HRE, Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts, and the Faculty of Social Sciences.

RuPaul’s Drag Race Trivia Night
Saturday, March 27 from 3 to 4 p.m.
Registration link

A fun and queer RuPaul’s Drag Race trivia night where students test their knowledge of the show. Prizes will be given to the top three scorers, including a Brock Campus Store prize pack for the first-place winner and a gift card to each of the runners-up.

The event is open to all Brock students and is sponsored by Brock Pride Club, Gender and Sexual Violence Support and Education, and Brock Campus Store.

Brock Pride Movie Night
Sunday, March 28 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Follow @brockpride for the registration link.

This event is an Amazon Prime/Netflix watch party where students are able to vote for the LGBTQ+ movie everyone will watch together.

This event is open to all Brock students and is sponsored by Brock Pride Club and BUSU.

Queer, Trans, Non-binary Moves Class (2S&LGBTQ+ only) by GoodBodyFeel
Monday, March 29 from noon to 1 p.m.
Registration link

Participants are invited to join a full-body movement and meditation class for slowing down, tuning in and grounding, led by Rucha from GoodBodyFeel.

This event is open to 2S&LGBTQ+ folks only. Community members are welcome.

The event is sponsored by the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization (PACHRED) 2S&LGBTQ+ Working Group.

Rainbow Capitalism and Pinkwashing: How Capitalism and Colonialism Undermine Queer and Trans Liberation
Facilitated by Vince Pacilli and Duan Parchment
Monday, March 29 from 4 to 6 p.m.
Registration link
Webinar link

This workshop aims to uncover the increased co-optation of queer and trans liberation politics and activism by corporations and governments through ‘pinkwashing.’ This workshop will also explore the ways anti-Blackness links into transphobia and homophobia; and what lived experiences such as poverty, houselessness, violence and over-policing play into these axes of oppression.

This workshop, sponsored by the Brock SJC, is open to everyone. Community members are welcome.

Pride in the Streets, Racism in the Sheets
Tuesday, March 30 from noon to 2 p.m.
Facilitated by Jermaine Marshall

Registration link (or DM @brocksjc for the webinar link).

Pulling from professional and experiential knowledge, facilitator Jermaine Marshall seeks to shatter the illusion of a “homogenous queer collective,” revealing underlying racial tensions and issues that require addressing in the modern age. From interpersonal relationships to institutional organizations, this workshop will highlight just how pervasively racism operates within the institution of “Pride,” all while touching on intersecting issues of sexism, classism and xenophobia.

Sponsored by the Brock SJC and PFLAG Niagara, the workshop is open to everyone. Community members are welcome.

BUSU Dirty Bingo with Vanity A La Mode
Tuesday, March 30 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Participants are invited to join Niagara sensation Vanity A La Mode for an evening of fun, games and prizes.

Follow @busuevents for the registration link.

Sponsored by BUSU, the event is open to all Brock students.

Understanding LGBTQ2S+ Health in Canada
Wednesday, March 31 from 1 to 3 p.m.
Follow @brockpride for for registration link.

This event will discuss the barriers that LGBTQ+ folks experience and provide resources and support for them in the Niagara region. There will be a presentation on LGBTQ2S+ terminology and the importance of pronouns in addition to games and activities.

The event — open to all students, staff and faculty at Brock — is sponsored by Brock Pride Club, Physicians for Human Rights, and Niagara Falls Community Health Centre (NFCHC).

Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby: 2SLGBTQ+ Sexual Health Games Night
Wednesday, March 31 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Registration link

Join Sarah Burtch (she/her) from Positive Living Niagara and Celeste Turner (they/them) from NFCHC to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility. Myth busting, rapid fire and “name that sexy tune” all lead to education, resources, fun and prizes.

Sponsored by NFCHC and Positive Living Niagara, the event is open everyone. Community members are welcome.

Exploring Intersectionality and Homophobia (2SQTBIPOC only)
Thursday, April 1 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Facilitated by Rabia Choudhary and Nana-yaa Owusu
Registration link (or DM @brocksjc for the webinar link).

Sponsored by the Brock SJC, this workshop is geared towards exploring homophobia experienced by QBIPOC individuals, especially within racialized spaces and communities. This session will use an intersectional approach in order to examine the role that race, ethnicity, class, gender and colonization have in experiences of homophobia and transphobia.

Please note this workshop is only open to 2SQTBIPOC folks (two-spirit, queer and/or trans Black, Indigenous, People of Colour).

Two-Spirit Panel
Thursday, April 1 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Registration link

Join us for a panel discussion on the diverse experiences of local two-spirit folks. The panel will be moderated by River Holland-Valade, Peer Support and Outreach Worker with the Mental Health Team at De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre. Panelists include Nenookaasi Ochrym, Luke Nicholas, Linda Hampton and Chickadee Schrirru.

Sponsored by Brock SJC, PACHRED 2S&LGBTQ+, HRE, and CUPE 4207, the event is open everyone. Community members are welcome.

Pride Week at the Campus Store

During Brock Pride Week, the Campus Store will feature 25 per cent off Brock Pride merchandise. In addition to this discount, in partnership with HRE, 10 per cent of all net proceeds from Pride clothing sales will be donated to Little Sister Collective, a youth-led artist resource centre made up of queer, not queer and racialized artists and others living in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.

For more information and/or accessibility requirements for any events, please email mmudge@brocku.ca