Laurier marks Pride Month with inclusive educational events

June 1, 2022

Each June, Pride Month recognizes and honours the experiences and history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer or questioning, and two-spirit (2SLGBTQ+) individuals and communities and celebrates the positive impacts 2SLGBTQQIA+ people have had around the world.

Wilfrid Laurier University aims to create safe and equitable campuses for all 2SLGBTQQIA+ members of its community. The university will celebrate Pride Month with a series of educational and inclusive events, some of which are highlighted below.

All events listed are open to the public unless otherwise noted. Additional events may be added throughout the month. Visit the university event calendar throughout June.

Pride T-Shirts

Pride T-shirts are available at Laurier's campus bookstores throughout June. A portion of Pride T-shirt sales will be directed to Laurier's Centres for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Celebrating Pride on Instagram

Laurier Instagram Account Takeovers: June 2, June 23. Follow.

Pride and joy will take over Laurier’s Instagram account on June 2 and June 23. On June 2, tune in to learn more about Pride programming and 2SLGBTQQIA+ resources and supports at Laurier. On June 23, follow along to celebrate the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, its contributions and joys.

Laurier’s Instagram takeovers are presented by the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in collaboration with the Office of the Associate Vice-President: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management, Human Resources, the Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group, Queer Sphere and the Laurier Library.

Pride Online Book Clubs: Crosshairs

Open to 2SLGBTQQIA+ employees and students.

Members of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community at Laurier invited to participate in an online book club featuring Crosshairs by award-winning queer Canadian author and screenwriter Catherine Hernandez. Two online book clubs will be held on Zoom – one for faculty and staff and one for students.

Crosshairs is a near-future dystopian novel set in Toronto that chronicles accounts from members of racialized, disabled and 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities who have been forced into labour camps by an oppressive regime. Hernandez captures the spirit of rage, solidarity and pride that is alive in many communities today. Crosshairs received praise and accolades upon its debut in 2020, including being named to CBC’s list of top Canadian fiction and shortlisted for the City of Toronto Book Award.

Details:

• Employee book club: Meets every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom from May 31 through June 28. Register by emailing equity@wlu.ca.
• Student book club: Meets Every Thursday from 1 to 2 p.m. on Zoom from June 2 through June 30. Register at bit.ly/crosshairsbookclub. Complimentary copies of the book will be provided by the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management.

Pride Digital Book Display

Laurier Library, Waterloo campus.

The Laurier Library has curated a digital book display that celebrates and amplifies 2SLGBTQQIA+ writers, researchers, artists and storytellers. Content in the display features stories about coming out and tragedy but also de-centres the predominance of these themes within 2SLGBTQQIAA+ literature. The display content celebrates and discusses everyday life, romance, dating, and navigating queerness alongside experiences of racialization, disability, gender diversity, and class, among other things.

The curators of this collection emphasize that 2SLGBTQQIA+ texts and literature have long been a part of global literary history. 2SLGBTQQIA+ writers and storytellers have shared their stories in the face of changing attitudes in dominant society, legal restrictions, book bans and persecution. These changes have not always taken place in linear ways.

Our Community is Beautiful

Brantford community sign campaign, June 1 to June 30.

Laurier employees and students living in Brantford are invited to share their support for Pride by displaying a sign at their homes or offices. Two designs are available to choose from. Choose the Laurier Brantford pick-up option to arrange for on-campus pickup. The community sign campaign is organized by the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Brantford Pride.

Bringing Pride to Work: 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace

Online employee workshop: June 7, 2 to 4 p.m., Zoom. Register.

Bringing Pride to Work: 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace is an online workshop that provides Laurier faculty and staff with an overview of what 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion means in the workplace. A history of 2SLGBTQ+ rights and ways to recognize and address homophobic, biphobic and transphobic actions in the workplace will also be discussed. The workshop is co-presented by the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management and Human Resources.

Beyond the Book: Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter

Online public lecture: June 9, noon to 1 p.m., Zoom. Register.

Join author Alison Wearing (BA '89) and Laurier Professor Michael Woodford ​for a fireside chat about Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter to discuss social wellbeing, the resilience of LGBTQ2S+ people and allyship. 

On Resistance and Solidarity

Online public lecture with Catherine Hernandez: June 23, 3:30 p.m. Zoom. Register.

All members of the Laurier community are invited to join Catherine Hernandez, an award-winning author, screenwriter and proud queer woman, for an online discussion about allyship and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community. Advanced registration is required.

A Matter of Choice

Online public panel: June 23, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Zoom. Register.

The Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion welcomes all members of the Laurier community to attend an online panel that will examine the experiences of those in the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community whose identities and bodies are heavily regulated. Panelists will discuss how access to choices that affirm one's sexual and gender identity intersects with other forms of autonomy necessary for justice and liberation.

Binder and Chest Form Program

Open to Laurier students. Register.

Laurier students seeking non-medical, gender-affirming technology can register for the Binder and Chest Form program. The program provides a binder or chest form to eligible participants at no charge, as well as asynchronous education about the types of available non-medical, gender-affirming technologies and how to use them safely and effectively. The program is offered through the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.