“To love with pride is to see the city’s string lights.

To know that there is love above the noise and in every step taken with love, pride finds its voice.”

Those words, penned by third-year Brock University English Language and Literature student Victoria Rose, now adorn the steps of St. Catharines City Hall as part of a special exhibit to celebrate queer voices in civic spaces.

Rose, who identifies as a queer artist, says being selected to share what her pride identity means to her is an honour as well as an opportunity to further advocate for change.

“It’s a fight; it’s an uphill battle; and there’s still a lot that needs to be done,” she says.  “To see those steps taken in the right direction — to recognize the way people use poetry, spoken word and art to speak up for important causes in some of the most beautiful forms of human expression — was an incredible honour to witness and to take part in, especially seeing the City take a stand.”

Rose’s poem, which celebrates love, identity and community, was installed alongside a painted representation of the Two Spirit Intersex Inclusive Pride Flag on Thursday, June 5.

Her commitment to fostering inclusivity in the community and across campus is what drove her recognition as June’s EDI Changemaker by Brock’s Office of Human Rights and Equity (HRE).

The award is presented each month to a student or employee who has helped advance equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) on campus.

Professor of English Language and Literature Gregory Betts says Rose has done an “excellent job building community around poetry.”

“She has created a space of active engagement that is unique in the city; it gives room for voices that are too often unheard,” he says. “The City Hall steps are the first official poetry commission in over a generation, which speaks to how impactful her efforts have been.”

Rose is also an organizer with the St. Catharines Poetry Slam and serves as Community Outreach Co-ordinator for Brock’s Creative Writing Club and Poetry Club.

Her debut poetry book, A Philosophy of Clichés, dives into her experiences as a queer neurodivergent teenager exploring her first crush while navigating her independence.

She is also an active member of the English Students Association, recently supporting the launch of its first-ever Undergraduate Academic Conference in April. It featured panel discussions and essay submissions on identity and feminism, the latter of which were compiled into a journal, The Sett, which Rose co-edited.

She says she’s passionate about working with the campus and broader community on these unique opportunities to continue to uplift marginalized voices.

While she says she is appreciative of having grown up in a supportive city and campus community, she admits to still having experienced her fair share of bias and ignorance.

Ensuring everyone feels safe and empowered to be who they are is what motivates her to continue to advocate for those who cannot do so themselves.

“Because I was an advocate for myself when it came to my queer identity, my disabilities, and even just being a woman in this world, I now also have the privilege to advocate and make a difference for other people,” she says.

She also says that while the display is “beautiful, it is simply the first step in the correct direction to help lift these voices and create more safety.”

“It is also showing people that getting involved, making changes and having your voice matter politically, even through your art, is possible,” she says.

EDI Changemaker criteria and nomination information is available on the HRE website.