JOE WICKENHAUSER (HE/HIM/IL)

Executive Director for the Yukon Pride Centre - Whitehorse
Directeur Général du Centre de la fierté du Yukon

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​Joe Wickenhauser is the Executive Director for the Yukon Pride Centre and currently lives in Whitehorse on the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwächän Council. He identifies as a cis, white, queer settler, and has invisible (dis)abilities.
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Joe grew up in rural Saskatchewan on the traditional territories of the nêhiyawak, Anihšināpēk, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda, and the homeland of the Métis/Michif Nation. As a young queer person, Joe struggled to find belonging within the Evangelical Christian movement.

In his early twenties, Joe came out to his family, friends, and faith community and wrote a Master’s thesis on LGBTQIA2S+ history and culture in smaller centres in Saskatchewan. Joe later went on to co-found the Moose Jaw Pride Festival, the Moose Jaw Pride Centre, the Saskatchewan Pride Network, and the Rainbow Retro Thrift Shop.
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Joe has a cat and a dog, and crocheted his first blanket this winter!