Out In Schools
405-207 W Hastings Vancouver, BC, Canada

Out In Schools has been busy! Last week we were joined by VQFF Artistic Director, Anoushka Ratnarajah, to sit on a Panel about the anti-racist theatre classroom hosted by the BC Drama Teachers Association and Arts Club Theatre Company. This was followed up with an Out In Schools presentation where we spoke about our lived experiences being queer folks of colour. We also hosted a workshop session with Richmond Childhood Educators. They were awesome and had really amazing in-depth questions. We hope to work with them again really soon. If you'd like to book a presentation (now available online) visit the link below! Feel free to get in touch with us - [email protected] for more details.

Friday 20 November is the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR). It is a collective day of commemoration on which we memorialize the transgender (trans) people who have been murdered and lost to anti-trans violence and bigotry. Trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith began TDoR to honour the memory of Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was murdered in 1998 and whose murder remains unsolved today. Anti-trans violence continues to disproportionately affect trans Black, Ind...igenous, and trans women/femmes of colour, many of whom are also sex workers. Our analysis and advocacy for trans rights must continue to deepen its intersectional approach, given that race, class, and histories of colonialism are deeply entrenched in the ways that trans women experience oppression. The focus of the day is to honour the memories of those violently taken. It is also a prominent reminder of the broader sys(and cis)temic failures to protect, uplift, and advance trans lives and rights both locally and around the world; every life lost and every act of violence gone unsolved/ unresolved are reminders of this. Indeed, we have seen a staggering increase in public debate about transgender women and the legitimacy of their womanhood. This discourse, if we can call it that, only seeks to legitimize the violence, harm, and exclusion that trans people, and trans women specifically, experience. There is no public good created from the subjugation of trans rights and trans liberation. Vancouver Trans Day of Remembrance will be hosting a march and memorial this Friday from 6:30pm to 9:00pm starting at Jim Deva Plaza. There will also be a live stream. If you plan to attend, please review Provincial health orders and suggestions to stay safe at http://www.vch.ca/. More details are available on their website: https://vancouvertdor.com/ Brandon Yan, Executive Director, Out On Screen

Don't miss out on our Rocky Horror Fall Fundraiser on October 29th at 7pm. We'll be screening this queer favourite at 7pm at the Twilight Drive-In in Langley. Funds raised will go towards supporting our program! Take a look at the event page below to find out more about ticket pricing, accessibility, and COVID-19 safety precautions.

We are so grateful to IDS West for selecting us as their Charity Partner year after year. Thank you! If you haven't yet, check out this year's schedule which includes an accredited virtual seminar program, live micro events, and window installations around Metro Vancouver as well as a digital fair. The funds raised by #IDSVancouver for our program will go towards reaching students, educators and organizations across BC both online and in-person (when possible). ... Learn more: vancouver.interiordesignshow.com.

Today we launch our fundraising campaign #queerantineconnections. Nowhere have we seen this year’s loss of connection land heavier than in the hearts and minds of queer, trans, and Two Spirit youth cut off from their peers under isolation. Out In Schools builds community through connection, so when schools closed this past spring, we knew we needed to work even harder to reach youth across BC. We’ve successfully adapted our presentations for digital delivery and your support ...will help with the added costs for training, implementation, outreach, and delivery in the months ahead. Queer, trans, and Two Spirit youth face unprecedented uncertainty and increased isolation; they need support and connection now more than ever. To donate visit outonscreen.com/donate or the link

A few things for the weekend Four queer and trans happenings to wind you up or down from our friends at Xtra Magazine. https://www.dailyxtra.com/queer-trans-entertainment-now-184

We are so proud to share that a short film created during our 2019 Troublemakers project with Reel Youth will be screened at Berlin's REC film festival this month. 'To Say Yes!' by Corey Kuefler-ter Weeme features Marg, a queer author of several books of poetry, including Unnatural Acts, Getting Wise, and Custodian of Chaos. Watch it here: http://ow.ly/Yblq50Bt28a

GREAT SCOTT! What an incredible night of queer film. Thank you to everyone who attended Thursday's Rocky Horror Fall Fundraiser for Out In Schools. VQFF has more events coming up including an online Watch Party screening of 'Circus of Books' on November 12th. Stay tuned!