Pflag York Region

Highlighting some amazing folks from across the region.

Our push for Rainbow Crosswalks and other affirming installations across York Region continues tonight as we provide a deputation to the Town of East Gwillimbury. You can watch tonight's municipal council meeting live on YouTube at 6:00pm Our deputation and the council discussion around the recommendation are scheduled to be early agenda items. ... watch here at 6:00pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42bZqGCrGxo

Montagnier, who co-identified the virus behind AIDS, shared the 2008 Nobel Prize

Join us at our monthly Pflag Coffee Night @ 7pm for good conversation and support in a safe, virtual environment. Meet new friends; reconnect with old ones. Pf...lag is York Region’s LGBTQ2 support, resource and education network bringing together all members of the community. Register through Pflag at https://bit.ly/39pHps4 Pflag York Region; Rainbow Space a group of CAYR Community Connections; CAYR Community Connections; Town of Aurora

Tonight!! We hope to see you there

Join us for our support group night of the month. We are excited to see you all there!

Starting in less than 30 minutes!

This Black History Month, we find anti-Black racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion at the forefront of our conversations and dialogue more than ever before a...nd we welcome this increasing awareness and laser focus on this conversation at all levels. While we can say Canada has made great strides in addressing issues of race and racism, we can also say with all honesty, that racism and anti-Black racism, continues to be an issue in our society. We know more work is needed from all Canadians and organizations, including Pride Toronto, to get us where we need to be as a global community. At #PrideToronto, we are doing our part to address some of the historic wrongs and calling on all individuals, organizations, and levels of Government to do the same. We must stand up and work towards eliminating inequality and injustice in our society at all levels, and in particular, we must address systemic and institutional racism that continues to create barriers for members of the Black community. This year Pride Toronto has planned activities for Black History Month that encompass three core pillars. We want to showcase the beauty, diversity and resiliency of the Black community, empower the most marginalized in our ranks and celebrate Black Queer Joy throughout the Month of February. Join us for our Black History Month event series. Follow the link below for our full statement and for this month's events: https://www.pridetoronto.com//pride-toronto-celebrates-bl/ #BlackHistoryMonth #WeSeeBlackTalent #WeSeeBlackActivism

Our second to last support meeting of the year is tonight - featuring folks from CMHA to talk about the services they offer out of their Gender Affirming Clinic running in two locations in York Region! We hope to see you there!

Checkout our final events of 2020! Two coffee night support meetings left as well as a special documentary film screening in observance of World AIDS Day- https://mailchi.mp/39e/join-us-tomorrow-for-support-4183677

These last few years YRP has brought our community together at their headquarters both in recognizing the history between Queer communities and law enforcement and acknowledging their commitment to support Queer and other marginalized communities. In a speech made by Chief MacSween at the time he shared the following: The U.S. national coalition of anti-violence reports fewer than half of the victims of the 2SLGBTQ+ hate crimes report incidents to police. We can assume the n...umbers in Canada are roughly the same...and of those who do, 80% express that law enforcement officials they interacted with were either indifferent or in some cases and unfortunately aggressive. We know we have more work to do and we will continue to do that work. That work has involved integrating 2SLGBTQ training into the recruitment process and even inviting Pflag York Region to speak to the relationship between law enforcement and Queer Communities at their Hate Crime Conference in It’s open acknowledgement of existing challenges by institutions and their own that are incredibly important. It’s a sign that they are trying to grow, learn and we as a public can hold them accountable. Pflag York Region and all the service providers listed participate in quarterly meetings at the Chief’s 2SLGBTQ Community Consultative Roundtable and have open lines of communication to members of that table. If you ever feel you are unable to communicate any questions or concerns directly to police, we are all here to help and can communicate those concerns and facilitate discussion.

Murders continue to be unsolved, disappearances with no leads, all at a disproportionately higher rate than cases involving cisgender heterosexual folks. These facts are undeniable. Here in Canada this information is not publicly accessible. We can make this deduction by looking at trans lived experiences in other countries worldwide. A truth our very own YRP Deputy Chief at the time and now Chief Jim MacSween shared one year ago today. However the most important items to a...ddress are the behaviours, systemic barriers and discrimination which lead to these disappearances and deaths. At a recent event, a trans woman in attendance described her lived experience and how different it is from other LGBTQ2 identities. She said for many the act of coming out, though is consistent, is usually in the form of a conversation that can go either way. For her, she feels like she is coming out to the world every time she steps outside her door because she doesn’t know if she’ll cross paths with the wrong person. Trans women, men, and non-binary folks like them deserve better and we all have the power to make it better for them. It is our collective responsibility to not just demand more from the folks who keep us safe, but demand more from each other. If you are looking for supports in your community or you want to get more involved we’ve tagged a few York region based resources and groups we work with regularly for you to connect with. #TDOR #TDOR2020 #transdayofremembrance #transgenderdayofremembrance #trans #transgender #transrightsarehumanrights #transrights #transawarenessweek #LGBTQ2 #queercanada #transtoronto #transontario #StandProudYorkRegion

Our friends at CAYR are hosting an online event tomorrow at 7pm in honour of TDOR. We encourage you to join in from home. Checkout the event page for registration details.

Sharing this poster from Trans Student Education Resource sharing important statistics about trans lived-experiences. Visibility makes these experiences difficult to ignore. We all have a part to play, no mater how small it may feel. #transgenderawarenessweek #transawarenessweek #transvisibility #transgendervisibility #transwomen #transnonbinary #transmen

The Toronto Star and the artists of the comic apologize for the hurt caused by this comic. With quotes from the president of our neighbouring chapter in Toronto, Anne C.

Join us tomorrow! In partnership with CAYR Community Connections. Exploring the idea of coming out, or seeking more details on how to better support someone who is coming out - this is for you! Advance registration required. Checkout the event page for details.

In memory of a beautiful human. #MatthewShepard #NeverForget

Just a reminder our next Coffee Night Online! will be on Wednesday October 28th with a very special guest! Oh, and do you all have any plans for the early afternoon of Saturday October 31st - especially those with little ones? Asking for a friend. Halloween is FUNdamental. ...

From our reigning Queen herself!

We were recently asked a few questions about LGBTQ2+ life in the 905! Special thanks to IN Magazine for allowing us the platform to share about the lived experiences outside of Toronto.

Happy National Coming Out Day!!! Today we recognize the ongoing journey of coming out LGBTQ2 folks throughout their lives. The coming out experience is incredibly varied and is an ongoing challenge more often for some than for others. At our recent Closets are for Clothes event one trans individual shared they sometimes don’t feel safe enough to express their gender identity daily despite being out to family and friends for years. National coming out day isn’t just about ...the life-long ongoing process of coming out, it’s about acknowledging how many still don’t feel comfortable living openly and visibility. Our communities, even queer ones, are not built with everyone in mind despite our best efforts and often times queer identities intersect with ones like race, disability and many more. There are many more within our communities and world wide who have yet to come out for a variety of reasons. Then there are those who this year may have had to move back home or into other environments that are not welcoming or affirming of their true-authentic lived experience - effectively going back into the closet. There is no easy answer to such a move but we pledge to be there for you all, queer folks and for families and friends alike. Regardless of where you and your are in your journey charities like Pflag and others in our communities are here to connect you with the supports you need. #nationalcomingoutday #nationalcomingoutday #nationalcomingoutday #comingout #imcomingout #Pflag #LGBTQ2 #LGBT #StandProudYR #queercommunities #queercanada See more

A great article backed by not just research but by those impacts which challenge claims made in a current parliamentary petition supported by MP Derek Sloan.

Happy International Lesbian Day! Today we observe the unique challenges and lived experiences experienced by those who identify. Though as a queer community we have many shared experiences, many are also unique to each individual person and identity. Affirming each sex and gender identity means acknowledging their own unique lived experiences. #internationallesbianday #Lesbian #StandProudYR #QueerCanada

Journalist and now Author Justin Ling just wrapped up a virtual launch of his book "Missing From The Village" hosted by Glad Day Bookshop. This is a must watch, and the book a must read to better understand what went so very wrong with the investigations into missing men in Toronto’s Church-Wellesley village and the systems in place for decades which allowed it to happen.

Yesterday marks 22 years since Matthew Shepard was brutally attacked and murdered. The reason for the attack? Because he was gay. It is estimated that most people under 35 today don’t know about Matthew. Take a moment to share with someone today - amplify Matthew’s story.

Back on the table, and another action taken to address one of the 23 recommendations from last year’s 2SLGBTQIA Health in Canada study and we hope the legislation becomes more comprehensive and effective as parties debate it in the house.

In North America, October is recognized as LGBTQ2+ History Month. To start off the month we feel it’s appropriate to share the history of our own organization, Pflag, and the story of its founder Jeanne Manford (pictured here is her daughter receiving the Presidential Citizen Medal from President Obama in 2012 on her behalf). It’s 1972 and Jeanne’s son Morty attended a protest against the New York Daily news that had just released a scathing editorial article against the LGBT... community openly using various derogatory terms. It was at this protest Morty was assaulted by the president of the city’s firemen’s union and ended up in the hospital. Police did not pursue charges. It wasn’t until the hospital contacted Jeanne that she found out what had happened, and that her 21 year old son Morty was gay. I was furious. Jeanne shared in an interview. What right did they have to assault my son and others and why didn’t the police protect them?. Jeanne took to the airwaves in a number of televised interviews in New York, Chicago and other major cities in support of her son and the LGBT community. Later that year Morty asked Jeanne to march with him. She created the sign you see picture above. People ran over to her from the sidewalks hugging her and asking her to speak to their parents. There’s nothing wrong with being gay or lesbian despite what we are told by society she would tell parents. She would talk on the phone with them and invite them to her meetings for parents of gay and lesbian kids. In Canada similar meetings were taking place at the same time in Toronto under the name POG - Parents of Gays. After an article in @chatelainemag news of an organization designed to connect parents with LGBT children grew and chapters were established throughout the 80s and 90s until all groups were aligned under the Pflag Canada National Brand in 2003. Our chapter in York Region, welcome not just parents but friends, allies, or anyone going through the journey of coming out or anyone facing daily challenges to affirming their sexuality and/or gender-identity. #familyforall #pflag #pflagyr #lgbt #lgbtq2s #standproudyorkregion #jeannemanford #queer #lgbtmovement #lgbthistorymonth See more

September 27 is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day to encourage open communication about HIV prevention strategies and address the disproportionat...e impact of HIV on gay and bisexual men. #NGMHAAD #StartTalkingHIV Condom use, PrEP and Undetectable = Untransmittable or U=U (Someone with HIV who has an undetectable viral load CANNOT pass the virus on through sex) are all extremely effective HIV prevention strategies that we all must continue to share with others to combat new HIV rates and HIV-related stigma. Learn more about them at the links below that are made by and for gay, bisexual, queer and other men who have sex with men. Using Condoms - https://thesexyouwant.ca/condoms/ Using PrEP - https://thesexyouwant.ca/prep/what-it-does/ U=U - https://thesexyouwant.ca/unde/undetectable-untransmittable/ If you want to learn more or want to get involved, contact Lorcan the Men's Health Program Coordinator at CAYR ([email protected] or 647-381-0439)

The folks at CAYR Community Connections are looking for cis and trans young gay, bisexual, queer and other men who have sex with men that are aged 25 or younger and are living or working in York Region to gather feedback on access to sexual health services in York Region. If you're interested in participating checkout the attached poster!

On Oct 7th come out and join CAYR Community Connections and Pflag York Region as we talk about...Coming Out! In recognition of LGBTQ2 History Month and National Coming Out Day. Whether you’re thinking about coming out, currently navigating it, or looking to support a loved one. This is for you! Checkout the event for all the details! Registration is required for this online event!

Charges laid in what was the first attempt at defacing the rainbow crosswalk after its installation in late August. The second incident, involving graffiti, was caught in the act as reported on weeks ago.

Registration is still open for any folks new to our online meetings until 6:40pm tonight! https://forms.gle/akbvXT3XnxHP7jmx7

Happy Bisexual Visibility Day! We’re absolutely thrilled to launch our new Coffee Night Speaker Series with a talk about Bisexuality. A few community members will start off the night speaking to their lived experience identifying as Bisexual. The talk will kick off tonight’s coffee night with our normal support meeting format to follow. ... If you’re new to our meetings - sign up by 6:30pm on the event page or shoot us a message for more details!

Today is Bisexual Visibility Day! Those who identify as bisexual have their unique challenges in our society, including an overrepresentation in low-income Canadians, higher rates of victimization, and mental health. We are here to recognize the reality that bisexual individuals face and we are here to dismantle the stigma and stereotypes surrounding bisexuality. Comment your stories in regards of bisexuality and let’s spread some love!... See more

A great message from Toronto Pflag President Anne C. who reveals the root of JK Rowling’s bigoted attacks against trans women. trans women are women