 Queer Yukon Society and All Genders Yukon Society condemn racism in all its forms. We condemn police brutality and murder, and we condemn quiet complacency with the racist status quo. We stand with the protestors who are putting their bodies on the line to create change. We know that as queer and trans people, we have the rights we have today because of the work of activists—many of whom have been Black, Indigenous, and of colour. We know it is time to repay that debt.
Queer Yukon Society and All Genders Yukon Society will not stay silent – we are adding our voices to those calling for change and an end to systemic violence in our community and across the world. As individuals, we are committed to doing this work by examining our privilege and biases, unlearning racism, and standing alongside racialized people in the fight for rights and equality. In addition to our individual efforts, our boards commit to being accountable, learning and growing from our mistakes, engaging in anti-racism training, and to actively listening to Black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour. We commit to looking at our boards, committees and events and ensure that Black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour are increasingly represented and feel safe, and respected. We commit to consulting with Black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour in the development of the Yukon Pride Centre, with the goal of creating an anti-racist space that responds to the needs of queer and trans Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour. This is not the end of our conversation on racism. We want to hear from our community and take direction from queer and trans Black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour. Queer Yukon Society and All Genders Yukon Society will be making a donation to Black Health Alliance, a community-led registered charity working to improve the health and well-being of Black communities in Canada. We commit to this being one of many steps towards being an actively anti-racist organization. We hope all our members and allies will also commit to unlearning racism and we have included a few resources for those wanting to get started. If you can contribute financially to support anti-racist work, some suggested links are included below as well. Queer Yukon Society & All Genders Yukon Society To contact Queer Yukon: info@queeryukon.com To contact All Genders Yukon Society: AGYSboard@gmail.com --- Anti-Racist Resources 10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship https://www.instagram.com/p/CA04VKDAyjb/ 12 (Mostly) Canadian Books about Racism, Anti-Blackness, and Anti-Racism, Plus Places to Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is https://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.com/2020/06/01/10-canadian-books-about-racism-anti-blackness-and-anti-racism-plus-places-to-put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is/ An Essential Reading Guide For Fighting Racism https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ariannarebolini/george-floyd-amy-cooper-antiracist-books-reading-resources Guide to Allyship https://guidetoallyship.com/ How to Ally: Do’s and Don’ts https://www.instagram.com/p/CA8FJhIhhRt/ Places to Donate BLACKSPACEWPG https://www.blackspacewpg.ca/ Black Health Alliance http://blackhealthalliance.ca/ Black Lives Matter - Toronto https://blacklivesmatter.ca/ Black Lives Matter – Vancouver https://blacklivesmattervancouver.com/ Black Youth Helpline https://blackyouth.ca/ Calgary Black Empowerment Fund https://ca.gofundme.com/f/calgary-black-empowerment-fund Federation of Black Canadians https://fbcfcn.ca/ Justice for Regis https://www.gofundme.com/f/justice-for-regis Minnesota Freedom Fund https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/donate Official George Floyd Memorial Fund https://ca.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd Rainbow Railroad https://www.rainbowrailroad.org/donate --- Queer Yukon Society (QYS) was launched in 2013 as a small group of dedicated volunteers with the goal of providing opportunities for the LGBTQ2S+ community to gather, socialize and support one another – primarily through social gatherings and the establishment of a Pride Festival in the Yukon. All Genders Yukon Society (AGYS) is focused on providing services to members of the Trans, Two-Spirit, Non-binary and questioning community, as well as their primary supports (significant others and family). AGYS helps community members by facilitating the funding of mental health services for members of the community (including single, couples, and group sessions), supporting outreach so community members can connect with other members one-on-one and get individualized support, and connecting folks with information about how to access trans-friendly medical services. Together, our organizations are working together to develop capacity within our community and to establish the Yukon Pride Centre.  Earlier this month, Queer Yukon Society’s pride committee announced that the 2020 Yukon Pride Festival: 24 Hours of Gaylight, scheduled for June would be postponed.
Well, we have news! Even if we can’t celebrate pride in-person this year, we can still celebrate together! We are now pleased to announce that Yukon Pride 2020 will be happening virtually (with some maybe-not-so-virtual events, too!), during the first two weeks of August 2020! The event line-up will be announced soon, so stay tuned! As we are entering Pride Month, this postponement also gives us time to think about the history and meaning of Pride Parades and Celebrations. It gives us time to reflect on the communities Queer Yukon and Yukon Pride are serving and reflect on how we are moving forward. Our theme this year, “Remote Connections” invites Yukoners from across the Territory to be part of the Pride celebrations. In the lead up to Yukon Pride 2020, there will be many ways to stay connected, to celebrate, and to show your pride! In the coming weeks, we will announce some of our community events, contests and calls for performers. We are also inviting LGBTQ2S+ community members to contact us if they are interested in hosting their own events. Throughout the month of June 2020, we also invite you to share with us what Yukon Pride means to you and how you would like to see the festival grow as we serve Yukon’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities at: pride@queeryukon.com We know that Pride is a life-giving moment for our community and we want to honour that with our celebrations this year. We hope you can join us as we come together in new ways to celebrate Pride across the Yukon! Find Queer Yukon online at: https://www.queeryukon.com/ https://www.facebook.com/QueerYukon/ https://www.instagram.com/QueerYukon/ |
About queer yukon societyQueer Yukon Society supports, promotes, and organizes events for the LGBTQ2S+ community and our allies in Whitehorse, Yukon. Officially incorporated in 2018, Queer Yukon has been organizing Yukon Pride since 2013, as well as many other events to bring together LGBTQ2S+ and allied Yukoners to build a strong and vibrant community. Archives
May 2023
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