Welcome to Brock 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Week 2023!
Please join us in celebrating the vibrant and diverse 2S&LGBTQ+ communities at BrockU and in the Niagara Region! Be sure to tag @brocksjc on Instagram and use the hashtag #BrockPride to celebrate your Pride!
Brock 2S&LGBTQ+ Pride Week 2023 Event Schedule:
Title: Suicide Intervention for Weirdos, Freaks and Queers
March 23rd from 11:30-2 pm on Zoom
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233053
Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsdu2srTosH9EVs_yUEN-SAZVwOq1HdzAZ
This is an intro-level workshop for folks who want to build and share skills around supporting people who are suicidal. This is not a certification course – it’s an opportunity to gather and share what we know about supporting suicidal family, friends and community members, in a structured and facilitated way. We will be discussing and examining the commonly held beliefs about suicide, suicide intervention and prevention, and how they impact the individuals seeking support. We will then name, describe, and practice some concrete skills and tools to use in conversations with folks struggling with suicidal feelings or impulses.
Some of the questions we will be exploring include: what are my beliefs about suicide, and how might those impact how I react to someone else feeling suicidal? How do I know if someone i care about is thinking about ending their life? What are the wrong things to say? Is suicidal thinking always an emergency? What if the emergency services that exist don’t feel like safe options for folks in my family or community? How do I know what my boundaries are, and how do I talk about them with someone in crisis?
Workshops are free, but registration is required by Monday, March 20th, 2023. This workshop has a capacity of 20 participants. All are welcome to register, although we are prioritizing registration of people who are structurally at a disadvantage getting this sort of care; people who are 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, disabled, have had harmful experiences with psychiatric care, or face other barriers in their daily lives.
This event is funded and brought to you by the Student Justice Centre. For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
Title: Drag Bingo and Show
March 23rd from 6:30-11:30 pm at Isaacs
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/232961
Kick off Brock Pride Week with a fun night of Bingo with Vanity a la Mode followed by a spectacular Drag Show by TroyBoy Entertainment.
Tickets available for purchase on the BUSU website.
$5 ticket Includes Pasta & Salad Buffet | Drag Bingo & Show | Win Amazing Prizes
Doors open 6:30 p.m. (entry via Isaac’s patio)
7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Bingo will be hosted by Badger favourite Vanity a la mode. Be entertained and win amazing prizes, including:
- An Apple Watch
- AirPods
- Bluetooth Speaker
- $100 Amazon Gift Card
- $50 Amazon Gift Card
- BUSU Swag – hoodies, eco water bottles and more!
9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Drag show spectacular hosted by Troyboy Entertainment
- $5 ticket includes a pasta and salad buffet.
- Bar will be open for those 19+ with government issued ID (no screenshots)
- Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
- Entry via Patio Doors, outside between the bus loop and the Campus Store
- Bingo starts 7:30 p.m.
- Buffet closes 8:30 p.m.
- Drag show starts 9 p.m., ends 11:30 p.m. and includes a 30-minute intermission
- Brock students only. No guests.
Special guests Brock Student Justice Centre (SJC) and Brock Pride Club will be at the event with information, so you can connect and learn more about their support and resources.
Exploring Queerness Outside of the Western Gaze
March 24th from 12-2 pm in WH206
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233055
Facilitated by Anmol Rughani (they/them) and Nana-yaa Owusu (she/they)
This workshop is geared at exploring queer history and identities from around the world, both in pre-colonial and post-colonial contexts. This session will explore the ways in which colonization has impacted and erased queer communities from “Western” history, as well as enforced a heteronormative society on cultures across the globe. Participants are invited to challenge their own biases, beliefs, and experiences to further understand the impact of colonization in the framework of our lives, ways of thinking and belief systems.
Attendees can win a $50 SkipTheDishes gift card! Brock Students can receive co-curricular credit in the CWC for attending this workshop.
This event is funded and brought to you by the Student Justice Centre. For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
Here & Queer: 2SLGBTQ+ Student Focus Group
March 24th from 4-6 pm in TH254
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233056
The Student Justice Centre promotes fairness, equity, accountability and transparency at Brock University. To support this work, we want to amplify the voices and experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ students at Brock through a series of focus groups facilitated by other students, staff, and members of the 2SLGBTQ community.
Each focus group will meet for 2 hours, and will provide space for folks to reflect, share, connect and brainstorm on their experiences at Brock. Through the focus groups, students will be able to share their experiences of navigating their gender and sexuality on campus, and map areas of growth for Brock, HRE and the SJC in our services and supports for 2SLGBTQ+ students. The information shared in the focus groups will be used by the SJC to build initiatives and programs to support greater 2SLGBTQ inclusion at Brock University.
Both focus group sessions have a cap of 15 participants each, and all participants will receive a $20 gift card for their time and participation.
This event is funded and brought to you by the Student Justice Centre. For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
Paint Your Pride: Pottery Painting
March 25th from 2-5 pm at Crock A Doodle, St. Catharines
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233057
Join us on Saturday, March 25th from 2-5 pm to Paint Your Pride on Pottery! Participants are invited to customize a mug, plate, bowl or other pottery items, with their own pride flag, doodles, and designs.
Pottery* and food related expenses will be covered by Brock SJC, BUSU and Brock Pride.
*There is a limit of 1 pottery piece per person that will be covered by our fund, anything else that an individual customizes will not be covered.
RSVP now to claim your spot, there is a limit of 20 people! This event is open only to 2SLGBTQ+ Students at Brock University, and is funded by the Student Justice Centre and BUSU.
For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
Nothing About Us Without Us: Tik Tok Activist Imani Barbarin Talks Intersectional Changemaking
March 27th from 3:30-5 pm on Zoom
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233058
Registration Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMpcOCqrjwoGtYEiCqPsk0SjubbqnAubrbh
Join us for this exciting Pride Week virtual keynote event featuring TikTok star @crutches_and_spice, Imani Barbarin! The event will include an interactive and dynamic presentation from Imani, a moderated discussion with student panelists, as well as a Q&A session with the audience. The conversation will explore the intersections of queerness, race, disability justice, gender-based violence, and social media activism in the 21st century.
ABOUT CRUTCHES&SPICE: Imani Barbarin is a disability rights and inclusion activist and speaker who uses her voice and social media platforms to create conversations engaging the disability community. Born with cerebral palsy, Imani often writes and uses her platform to speak from the perspective of a Disabled Black woman.
If you’d like more info about Imani, here is a link to her website:
You can also get excited for the event by checking out some of Imani’s awesome social media content!
TikTok: @crutches_and_spice
Instagram: @crutches_and_spice
Twitter: @Imani_Barbarin
The event will be hosted via Zoom. ASL Interpretation and auto-generated closed captions will be available. Participants can engage with the Q&A and chat functions. For additional accessibility requests and inquiries, please email Rabia at sjc@brocku.ca.
This event is open to everyone, including community members. Spaces are limited, so be sure to reserve your seat by registering today!
Big thank you to our organizers and sponsors including Brock Student Justice Centre, the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity, and Decolonization (PACHRED), PACHRED’s Sexual Violence Prevention Committee, 2SLGBTQ+ Working Group and Employment Equity Working Group.
#BrockUDisabilityJustice #BlackAtBrock #ThingsDisabledPeopleKnow #DisabilityTooWhite #TheBarriersWeFace #PatientsAreNotFaking #AbledsAreWeird #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs
Queer, Trans, Nonbinary Moves Class by GoodBodyFeel and Brock SJC
March 28th from 12-1 pm in Brock’s Fitness Studio
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233060
Facilitated by Clairandean from GoodBodyFeel, join SJC and your fellow 2SLGBTQ+ friends and community for a Moves Class!
Movement and meditation class for slowing down, tuning in, and grounding. Expect a full body movement sequence with special attention given to the neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips. Cultivate a stronger connection with your body and intuition in this beginner-friendly class. When we live in a world where our bodies are often politicized, it is normal for us to have complex relationships with our bodies. Let’s remind ourselves that it is safe to just be. Let us remind ourselves that it is safe to just move. Through softness and strength, let’s show gratitude to our human vessels for carrying us forward every day.
This event is funded and brought to you by the Student Justice Centre. For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
Here & Queer: 2SLGBTQ+ Student Focus Group (QTBIPOC)
March 29th from 5-7 pm in TH254
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233061
The Student Justice Centre promotes fairness, equity, accountability and transparency at Brock University. To support this work, we want to amplify the voices and experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ students at Brock through a series of focus groups facilitated by other students, staff, and members of the 2SLGBTQ community.
Each focus group will meet for 2 hours, and will provide space for folks to reflect, share, connect and brainstorm on their experiences at Brock. Through the focus groups, students will be able to share their experiences of navigating their gender and sexuality on campus, and map areas of growth for Brock, HRE and the SJC in our services and supports for 2SLGBTQ+ students. The information shared in the focus groups will be used by the SJC to build initiatives and programs to support greater 2SLGBTQ inclusion at Brock University.
Both focus group sessions have a cap of 15 participants each, and all participants will receive a $20 gift card for their time and participation.
This event is funded and brought to you by the Student Justice Centre. For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
One Book, One Niagara, featuring Ivan Coyote
March 29th from 7-9 pm in Sean O’Sullivan Theatre
Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/one-book-one-niagara-featuring-ivan-coyote-tickets-528600025907
We are excited to welcome author Ivan Coyote to discuss their book Care of: Letters, Connections, and Curses , the selected title for the 2023 One Book, One Niagara initiative.
Writer and performer Ivan Coyote has spent decades on the road, telling stories around the world. For years, Ivan has kept a file of the most special communications received from readers and audience members—letters, Facebook messages, emails, soggy handwritten notes tucked under the windshield wiper of their truck after a gig.
Care Of combines the most powerful of these letters with Ivan’s responses, creating a body of correspondence of startling intimacy, breathtaking beauty, and heartbreaking honesty and openness. Taken together, they become an affirming and joyous reflection on many of the themes central to Coyote’s celebrated work—compassion and empathy, family fragility, non-binary and trans identity, and the unending beauty of simply being alive, a giant love letter to the idea of human connection, and the power of truly listening to each other.
Copies of Care Of will be available for purchase during the event. Ivan will be available for signings following the conclusion of the event.
Pride Karaoke and Social
March 30th from 7-9 pm in Alphie’s Trough
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233064
Join Brock SJC, Brock Pride and Faith and Life for a fun night of socializing, karaoke singing, games and more! This event is for members of 2SLGBTQIA+ community to come and spend time together and celebrate Pride Week with food and music! The first hour will be a casual social event with food and games (7pm to 8pm) and the last hour will be an open karaoke mic night, showcasing the many talents that students have!
We will also be hosting fun games where winners can take home amazing prizes!
This event is funded and brought to you by Brock Pride, the Student Justice Centre, and Faith and Life. For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
Pride in the Streets, Racism in the Sheets
March 31st from 12-2 pm in TH 253 E-Learning Classroom
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233067
This two-hour workshop will explore racism within the North American 2SLGBTQ+ movement. 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 we call “Pride”, all while touching on intersecting issues of sexism, classism and xenophobia.
This workshop is open to everyone. Attendees will be entered to win a SkipTheDishes gift card!
This event is funded and brought to you by the Student Justice Centre. For more information on this event or for accommodation requests, please contact Rabia Choudhary at sjc@brocku.ca.
Transgender Day of Visibility
March 31st from 4-9 pm at St. Catharine’s City Hall, Silver Spire Church on St. Paul Street
Link: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/233068
Everyone (all ages, all genders identities) are invited to join us in celebrating TDOV 2023 with a flag raising, community march, and celebratory gathering in downtown St. Catharine’s!
The International Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is celebrated each year on March 31st around the world. This day recognizes the struggles, sacrifices and achievements of those who fought, and continue to fight, for gender equity. The Niagara Transgender Action Coalition (NTAC) would like to invite your organization to participate in a Trans Joy Celebration in recognition of the Transgender Day of Visibility.
Event Schedule:
– 4pm-4:30pm – Flag raising at St. Catharine’s City Hall
– 4:30pm – Community march to Silver Spire
– 5pm-7pm – Speakers, community partner information booths, speakers, snacks, and refreshments at Silver Spire
Media Inquiries & more information
– If you are a reporter or representative from the media, please send all media inquiries to Colleen McTigue and Celeste Turner at ntac@pflagniagara.ca
– If you have a question about the event or accessibility needs, please email ntac@pflagniagara.ca
– Social Media Tags Hashtags – if you share promotion or photos from the event to social media, please use the hashtag: #TDOVNiagara
About Event Organizers
This event is hosted by the Niagara Transgender Action Coalition (NTAC), a group made up of Trans individuals and community organizations including:
- Transgender Niagara
- Brock Student Justice Centre
- Niagara Falls Community Health Centre
- OPIRG Brock
- OUTniagara
- PFLAG Niagara
- Positive Living Niagara
- Quest Community Health Centre
- Niagara Region Sexual Health
Important Dates: Transgender Day of Visibility
What is Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV)?
“Each year on March 31, the world observes Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) to raise awareness about transgender people. It is a day to celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people, while also drawing attention to the poverty, discrimination, and violence the community faces.
International TDOV was created in 2010 by trans advocate Rachel Crandall. Crandall, the head of Transgender Michigan, created TDOV in response to the overwhelming majority of media stories about transgender people being focused on violence. She hoped to create a day where people could re-focus on celebrating the lives of transgender people, empowering them to live authentically, while still acknowledging that due to discrimination, not every trans person can or wants to be visible.”