A Letter from the QYS Board
June 17, 2026
Re. Anonymous Call for Accountability of June 14, 2026
Dear Partners and Supporters of our work,
The Queer Yukon Society (QYS) Board of Directors acknowledges receipt of the recent anonymous mass correspondence that has been circulated to government officials, media, labour representatives, and members of the public.
QYS takes all concerns related to organizational governance, community wellbeing, and program delivery seriously. However, we do not accept or engage with anonymous complaints of this nature. In the current environment, where anonymous communications can be easily generated or amplified—including through artificial intelligence—it is not possible to reliably distinguish between submissions made by individuals in good standing within our community and those intended to misrepresent, destabilize, or cause harm to the organization. As such, we remain committed to addressing concerns raised through appropriate, accountable, and transparent channels.
QYS maintains a formal complaint process for volunteers and community members, which is publicly accessible on our website. This process is designed to ensure that concerns are received, reviewed, and addressed in a structured, fair, and accountable manner.
Since assuming governance, the current Board inherited an organization facing significant operational, financial, and structural instability, including conditions that placed QYS at the brink of dissolution. In a short period of time, the Board has taken decisive and measurable steps to restore stability and ensure organizational continuity.
These actions include:
Addressing and stabilizing significant funding shortfalls;
Re-establishing financial oversight, accountability, and transparency with funders;
Bringing organizational operations into alignment with applicable occupational health and safety legislation, human rights obligations, employment law, and the collective agreement;
Strengthening governance practices and internal accountability mechanisms;
Stabilizing core programming, including ensuring that the Safer Together program remains on track to meet all required deliverables.
QYS also recognizes the Yukon Employees’ Union / PSAC as the exclusive bargaining agent for its staff and remains committed to engaging in good faith in all matters related to the collective agreement and labour relations. Staff are supported by formal, established processes through the Union to raise and pursue real or perceived workplace concerns in a structured, accountable, and procedurally fair manner.
While we recognize that periods of organizational transition can be difficult and may generate differing perspectives, it is also well established that when organizations move from environments with limited oversight to ones grounded in stable governance, accountability, and compliance, there can be adjustment challenges. Individuals who may have previously operated within or benefited from less structured environments can experience difficulty adapting to strengthened governance, clearer expectations, and increased accountability. Broad, anonymous, and publicly distributed allegations—particularly those lacking specificity, accountability, or direct engagement—can, in this context, contribute to harm rather than resolution.
If the source of this correspondence is connected to the community QYS serves, we must be clear: this form of mass, anonymous communication constitutes a form of lateral violence. That includes the use and weaponization of equity-based language and frameworks in a manner that undermines organizational stability, staff wellbeing, and the broader community we are collectively responsible for supporting. While we have empathy for the experience of internalized oppression which can lead marginalized demographics to engage in actions of this nature, QYS will not condone lateral violence of any kind, and will call these destructive behaviours out, as needed.
QYS remains committed to continuous improvement, meaningful accountability, and respectful engagement. We welcome constructive dialogue through appropriate channels that allow for clarity, verification, and resolution. Our focus remains on delivering safe, accessible, and sustainable programming for Yukon’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and on maintaining the trust and confidence of our funders through demonstrated outcomes and responsible governance.
At the same time, we note that QYS is in the early stages of re-establishing organizational stability following a period of significant risk. Actions of this nature—particularly when anonymous, broadly distributed, and unverified—have the potential to undermine that progress and threaten the progress and continuity of services relied upon by the community.
We appreciate your ongoing support and encourage you to invite the complainant(s) to pursue any concerns through the proper channels identified above. We welcome any direct questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
Queer Yukon Society