Retrospective: 2SLGBTQ+ alumni reflect on Queen's experiences

At 1:20 am on June 28, 1969, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular Greenwich Village gay bar. The approximately 200 patrons fought back, sparking six days of protests and inspiring generations of 2 Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and additional sexual orientations and gender identities (2SLGBTQ+)¹ activists.

In honour of the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, we interviewed seven 2SLGBTQ+ alumni to learn about their experiences and to see how the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s community has evolved over the years.

The 1960s

The Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s 카지노게임사이트 campus is 615 kilometres from Greenwich Village, but in 1969 it may as well have been at the other end of the world. In an age when same-sex activity was a criminal offense that carried a prison term, 2SLGBTQ+ people knew that living openly could lead to being denied service at a restaurant, being denied housing, ostracism from classmates and professors, and, often, beatings. As a result, they tended to keep their sexual identities to themselves. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�No one was gay in those days,카지노 게임 컬렉션� says Gregg Blachford, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�71.  

Blachford, who was not out at the time, remembers his Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s experience as happy, albeit steeped in denial.  카지노 게임 컬렉션�I dated women and they thought of me as the perfect gentleman because I never put my hands on them,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�The problem was I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t have gay friends. Having people you can identify with is really what opens things up and makes you feel better about yourself.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Blachford would later learn that there were other gay students at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s at the time 카지노 게임 컬렉션� including one of his roommates. Unfortunately, homophobia was so entrenched on campus that they couldn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t come out to each other. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We were so isolated that we were never able to bond,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We each lived in our own little hidden world.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

As he grew to accept his sexuality, Blachford slowly began looking to broaden his world. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Somehow I picked up that City Park, near the campus, was where gays cruised,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I remember going there in my third year. There was a man who followed me. I think he might have said hello, but I just scampered. I was too scared to stay.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Not long afterward, he worked up the courage to enter The Cat카지노 게임 컬렉션�s Meow, a downtown Kingston bar that was popular among gay men. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I walked in, got terrified, and walked right out the door,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�So, on those two occasions I dipped my toe in, but I couldn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t seem to follow through.카지노 게임 컬렉션� He was finally able to come out after graduation, once he had returned home to Toronto.

The 1970s

In the early 1970s, Toronto had taken its first steps toward a more inclusive future for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. By 1973, the city had its own gay magazine, had aired Canada카지노 게임 컬렉션�s first queer television series, and had taken part in the country카지노 게임 컬렉션�s inaugural Pride Week celebrations. And in October, Toronto City Council made history, becoming the first Canadian municipality to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.

In the fall of 1973, after a popular student newspaper published a column rife with homophobic slurs, a letter of protest appeared in the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s Journal. Signed by 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Three Campus Homophiles,카지노 게임 컬렉션� it spoke out, not only against the column, but also against a campus culture that turned an intentional blind eye to violence, intimidation, and ingrained homophobia. It added that 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s is one of the few universities left in North America which still does not have its own homophile association.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

The letter sparked weeks of debate on the Journal카지노 게임 컬렉션�s letters to the editor page, including several letters defending the offending columnist and attacking the original letter writers. Still, it created enough momentum that, by the end of October, the , the university카지노 게임 컬렉션�s first resource for 2SLGBTQ+ students, was born. In 1974, it became an officially sanctioned organization. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�They ran a phone line,카지노 게임 컬렉션� says Dr. Nancy Tatham, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�86, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�00. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�There were a lot of callers who were alone and isolated. Or maybe they were kicked out of their houses when their roommates found out. It was a desperately needed service.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

By 1975, the QHA had established a small resource library, and, a year later, they published their first newsletter. By 1977, they were holding dances every few months in the basement of the law school building, often attracting as many as 150 people.

The 1980s

Toronto experienced its own Stonewall moment in February of 1981, as more than 3,000 protesters took to the streets after city police arrested 286 people in a series of bathhouse raids.

Tatham arrived on campus in the fall of 1981 and came out the following year. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�From my experience, there was nothing on campus, so it was very haphazard trying to find community,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. Her initiation into the community began with a chance encounter at the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s Choral Society. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We had a break in rehearsal, and one of the other women went outside with me,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she recalls. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�She said, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�you카지노 게임 컬렉션�re one too, aren카지노 게임 컬렉션�t you?카지노 게임 컬렉션�카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Another chance encounter, arranged through a friend in a chemistry lab, led her to the QHA headquarters in the Grey House on what is now Bader Lane. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I lived in Vic Hall, right beside the Grey House,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Tatham says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I remember being casually warned off. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Don카지노 게임 컬렉션�t go near the Grey House. That카지노 게임 컬렉션�s where카지노 게임 컬렉션�카지노 게임 컬렉션�  I don카지노 게임 컬렉션�t remember the exact terminology, but it wasn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t flattering. It was enough to scare me away, but I managed to get up the nerve and I went to a meeting there. That카지노 게임 컬렉션�s how it started for me.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

The mid-1980s was a hard time for 2SLGBTQ+ people around the world. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Rock Hudson had just died,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Tatham says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�AIDS awareness was bubbling up in the public consciousness, and a torrent of homophobia came up with it. We were being hunted down and beaten up.카지노 게임 컬렉션� That made it difficult for Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s students who were struggling to find community. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We put together a flying squad,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Tatham says, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�because there were people who were too afraid to go to the Grey House. We would get letters that said, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Meet me at Place X and Time X. I will be wearing such and such. I just want to talk to someone.카지노 게임 컬렉션�카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Tatham recalls the experience of a friend: 카지노 게임 컬렉션�He was studying in Mac Corry in the middle of the day. A guy was staring him down very menacingly, so he gathered up his books and went down 카지노게임사이트 Avenue. The guy caught up with him in front of Dunning Hall, grabbed him, pummeled him, and hurled his books onto the street. My friend watched as a bus drove over his books. He managed to run away, bleeding, but he told me it wasn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t the beating that hurt the most. It was that none of his fellow students intervened.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

This was the environment that awaited Chris Veldhoven, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�94, when he arrived on campus in the mid-1980s. Raised in part by a gay father, Veldhoven was more comfortable with his sexuality than many of his peers. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I was already out to my best friend when I got here,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�And I started coming out publicly as I sensed a few other queer folk on campus. It was probably a little easier for me, but even I wasn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t out to everyone in my first year because of everything that was happening.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Veldhoven and Tatham were part of a diverse and dedicated group of activists who worked tirelessly to change the prevailing attitudes. Veldhoven hosted After Stonewall, CFRC카지노 게임 컬렉션�s first queer radio show. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�And because I was exploring studying theatre and theatre history, I met people and pulled together production teams for our first Pride theatre pieces,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We called ourselves Rebels With 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Out카지노 게임 컬렉션� Cause.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Tatham graduated in 1986 but remained on campus as a volunteer activist. "In a way, I was fortunate,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Looking back, I would say that my ability to focus on queer issues was in part because I had multiple privileges as a middle-class, WASP, able-bodied, neurotypical kid from semi-urban Southwestern Ontario with an intact, supportive family where I was the third generation to attend university. I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t have to deal with other issues because, my lesbianism aside, I had an easy ride. For those who were not of the mainstream, it was harder to come out, harder to find a place within the queer community, and harder to find a voice on a very white, very straight campus.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Tatham and her fellow activists had a lot of work ahead of them. In 1987, she met a male student at a dance. A few days later, she bumped into him on the street. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I greeted him by name, and he just froze,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�He was terrified. I saw him again later, and he said that he was with people who didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t know, and he was afraid I was going to out him. I remember thinking that we should be able to walk down the street and not live in fear.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

That realization led Tatham to more activism. She teamed up with Francois Lachance, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�82, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s first prominent gay and lesbian activist,카지노 게임 컬렉션� to stage an annual Lesbian and Gay Awareness Week, which culminated in 1989 in Kingston카지노 게임 컬렉션�s first Pride March. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We called it a Pride Stroll,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I remember gathering on somebody카지노 게임 컬렉션�s back deck. We made a banner, and we went to Market Square at high noon on a Saturday and we marched up Princess to Montreal Street, and then we turned around and marched back. There were no catcalls, nothing. But every shop door opened, and people were just standing there, agog. I think they were shocked.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Another turning point came when Tatham and others met with the head of Student Counselling. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We told them they needed to offer services for lesbian and gay students,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�And it became clear that they didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t understand what the issues were.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Later that year, Tatham was invited to speak in one of the residences. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�One person showed up,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�But we quickly realized that there were all these people clustered at the door, so we invited them in, and it turned into a great meeting.카지노 게임 컬렉션� Dr. Elspeth Baugh, the Dean of Women, read a report about the meeting and voiced her approval. That vote of confidence inspired the group to hold more informal training sessions with residence dons and floor seniors.  

Lorne Gretsinger, ConEd카지노 게임 컬렉션�92, was one of those dons. He says he appreciated the training, but he wasn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t quite ready to come out himself. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I couldn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t come out at the time because it wasn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t a friendly environment,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. Despite the efforts of Tatham, Veldhoven, and others, the homophobic roots still ran deep on campus. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�There would be posters that said, on a certain day, and no one would wear jeans that day.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

In addition to working as a don, Gretsinger was active in student government. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I frame it that I delayed coming out by keeping myself busy,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I was with this great group of volunteers and student politicians who wanted to make things better, but I also knew there was a target on those who spoke out. Everyone knew Chris was gay. Everyone knew Nancy was a lesbian. There were insults and slurs behind their backs. I was not authentic to myself, but they were, and I was so impressed with how they were living and the leadership they showed. And I knew I was going to get there eventually.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

The 1990s

In the early 1990s, the Yukon became Canada카지노 게임 컬렉션�s first province or territory to grant spousal benefits to same-sex partners. And soon-to-be Prime Minister Kim Campbell lifted the ban on gays and lesbians in the Canadian Forces.

At Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s, the QHA had adopted a more modern, inclusive name, the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Association (LGBA). Still, the old attitudes prevailed 카지노 게임 컬렉션� and not just on campus. Veldhoven, who by then was working in the Career Planning and Placement office, remembers a student who came to him for help. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�It was during the break and they and their partner lived in separate cities,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�They had a romantic conversation over the phone which they thought was private, but there were two phones in the household and one of their parents picked up the extension and overheard the conversation. The parent cut the student off financially, and the student asked me if I could write a letter of support to OSAP so they could survive and finish the year.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Stacy Kelly, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�93, was also struggling to find acceptance when he arrived at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s in the early 1990s. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I wasn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t really out, not even to myself,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Third year was especially difficult emotionally and, not surprisingly, academically.카지노 게임 컬렉션� While homophobia still existed on campus, Kelly experienced a different side of the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s community. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�The kindness of faculty and staff is what I will always remember,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says.

카지노 게임 컬렉션�The late Dr. Norman Brown 카지노 게임 컬렉션� I took Greek and Medieval philosophy with him. He knew something was up and he called me out of the blue and invited me to his office to speak with him. I was trembling as I knocked on the door because I don카지노 게임 컬렉션�t like conflict, but he had a plate of cookies and a glass of milk sitting there and he just said, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�What카지노 게임 컬렉션�s going on? How can I help?카지노 게임 컬렉션� There were many people who showed me enormous graciousness and caring when I was flailing. That카지노 게임 컬렉션�s what made Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s home for me.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Meanwhile, a storm was brewing on campus. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�There was a lot of outrage at that time around what was happening during Orientation Week,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Tatham recalls. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�There was hazing, misogyny, homophobia.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Elena Christopoulos, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�10, remembers coming to Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s in the fall of 1991. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We were driving down the 401 from Toronto,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�My sister, who is 10 years younger than me, was in the car, and I remember my mother yelling, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Look down. Don카지노 게임 컬렉션�t look out the window.카지노 게임 컬렉션� There were banners on the highway, put up by Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s students, that said things like, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Parents, drop off your virgins. We카지노 게임 컬렉션�re going to take their virginity.카지노 게임 컬렉션�카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Once she had settled on campus, Christopoulos experienced challenges. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I wasn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t like everyone else,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she said, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�and people made that clear to me. I was teased a lot and shamed.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  In her third year, she was sexually assaulted and hospitalized. She left the university and didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t return for 15 years. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I couldn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t say the word 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s카지노 게임 컬렉션� without crying,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says.  

Shortly after Christopoulos left, campus activists began making headway. By that time, LGBA volunteers had created a speakers카지노 게임 컬렉션� bureau to provide training, both at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s and throughout Kingston and the neighbouring communities. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We had never done this before,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Tatham says, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�but we did a lot of research and put ourselves through grueling training and made ourselves available as speakers. We카지노 게임 컬렉션�d go in twos and threes wherever they would take us.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

By the middle of the decade, a group of volunteers, which included Tatham and Veldhoven, interviewed students to gain a better understanding of their experiences and developed more formal anti-homophobia and anti-heterosexism training and delivered it across campus.

In 1997, Veldhoven published the AMS-funded Your Queer Community, Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s (and Kingston카지노 게임 컬렉션�s) first-ever guide to resources for 2SLGBTQ+ students, and a new climate of acceptance was slowly settling in. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�We were seeing more pink triangles and rainbows around campus and more people were identifying as queer or as allies,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Tatham says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Even though Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s may have realized that it needed to pull up its boots, the changes were coming from the grassroots 카지노 게임 컬렉션� students, student organizations, professors, and teaching assistants pushing for change.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

The 2000s

By the turn of the millennium, the Supreme Court of Canada had ruled that same-sex couples had the same rights as common-law heterosexual couples, and adoption was now legal for gay and lesbian couples in most provinces.

At Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s, the LGBA had disbanded and was replaced by the , and Kelly had returned to campus to work in the Admissions and Recruitment office. And while students and faculty were on a visible path to progress, the haze of homophobia still lingered in some corners. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I made a promise to myself in my workspace in Richardson Hall,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Kelly says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�My co-workers all had pictures of their spouses on their desks, and I promised myself I was going to put a picture of my boyfriend (now husband) on my desk, and if someone asked about it, I was going to tell the truth. And that카지노 게임 컬렉션�s what happened. Word got around, and someone said, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I really love working with you. It카지노 게임 컬렉션�s a shame you카지노 게임 컬렉션�re going to burn in hell.카지노 게임 컬렉션� 카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Kelly knew he had to respond, but he didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t relish the thought of going through the traditional channels. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t want to navigate the terrible bureaucratic mess of filing a complaint,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�so I decided to do something different.카지노 게임 컬렉션� He helped launch QUAQE, the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s 카지노게임사이트 Association for Queer Employees. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�It took a while to get people to come out of the woodwork,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�but the reaction was great. People really liked knowing there was a community for them.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

As one of QUAQE카지노 게임 컬렉션�s early champions, Kelly found himself thrust into a leadership role. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Mostly, I just tried to be helpful,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�A colleague would confide about their daughter coming out, that kind of thing. I tried to be a positive resource and a role model.카지노 게임 컬렉션� That included writing an op-ed piece to promote QUAQE in the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s Gazette in which he came out to the entire university. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t really intend to do that,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I was just learning to become visible. There were people who were much more visible than I was 카지노 게임 컬렉션� Chris, Nancy, Marney McDiarmid 카지노 게임 컬렉션� these people were my heroes. I was watching them and learning and finding my own way as an advocate.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Dana Wesley, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�09, MA카지노 게임 컬렉션�15, was also finding her way as an advocate during the first few years of the millennium. A member of the Moose Cree Nation who is bisexual and 2 Spirit, Wesley hadn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t seriously considered her sexuality before she arrived at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I had always had feelings and thoughts about all genders,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�but I didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t express them. I repressed them. But once I found my communities at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s, I felt safe exploring what that meant to me.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

A former president of the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s Native Students Association, Wesley divided her time between 2SLGBTQ+ and Indigenous causes during her 11 years on campus. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I felt like I was a part of these smaller communities that were at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s, but not necessarily a part of Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�And that is not an isolated experience. I know a lot of racialized students and Indigenous students and other queer students and people who intersect all of those identities who felt the same way. We were at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s, but we didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t feel we belonged.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Wesley focused her activism on bringing the university카지노 게임 컬렉션�s queer and Indigenous communities together. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�A lot of it was having genuine conversations and helping to open up queer spaces within the Indigenous communities,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�building understanding and eliminating barriers for queer and 2 Spirit students.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Present day 

Today marriage equality is a reality in Canada from coast to coast, and the right to gender identity and gender expression is enshrined under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Kathleen Wynne, Artsci카지노 게임 컬렉션�76, became Ontario카지노 게임 컬렉션�s first openly lesbian premier in 2013, and queer, trans, and 2 Spirit politicians now serve in leadership roles in provincial and municipal governments across the country.

As Canada and its cities and provinces became more welcoming, there was one segment of the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s community that had yet to embrace the revolution. Although Tatham had been part of a couple of unofficial Homecoming events over the years, there was no official 2SLGBTQ+ presence in the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s alumni community. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Fast forward to 2019,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Kelly says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�A few of us were rumbling around, wondering if, in the spirit of QUAQE, maybe there was something similar we could do on the alumni side. Could we create a positive advocacy space for Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s alumni?카지노 게임 컬렉션� Later that year, the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s Queer Alumni Chapter (QQAC) was born. The first official queer alumni event took place once in-person Homecoming returned from the pandemic hiatus in 2022. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�It was history-making,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Kelly says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�People shared very openly and talked about their experiences. Now we카지노 게임 컬렉션�re looking to the future and wanting to solidify the chapter카지노 게임 컬렉션�s purpose around being a helpful bridge for queer, trans, and non-binary students.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

The QQAC is one of many services available to the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s 2SLGBTQ+ community today. In addition to EQuIP and QUAQE, there are safe, inclusive spaces in all six faculties and the School of Graduate Studies, supportive services available at Yellow House and the Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre, advocacy services through the , and Pride celebrations through Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s Pride.

카지노 게임 컬렉션�Things have definitely changed for the better in the 50 years since I was at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Gregg Blachford says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�In many ways, we카지노 게임 컬렉션�re living in a different world.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Nancy Tatham agrees. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�In the last 10 years, I카지노 게임 컬렉션�ve seen that, when kids enter university, there카지노 게임 컬렉션�s a lot more acceptance than there used to be,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Now there are far more people on campus who are open and accepting of someone in their life who is gay or trans or bi.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

Lorne Gretsinger has also observed signs of progress. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�When I come to campus and see the poster boards, it카지노 게임 컬렉션�s nice to see the diversity that카지노 게임 컬렉션�s here now,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�It카지노 게임 컬렉션�s not just siloed in Grey House anymore.카지노 게임 컬렉션� He is also encouraged by the make-up of the university카지노 게임 컬렉션�s volunteer leadership. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�As I look through the list of people on the 카지노게임사이트 Council, I카지노 게임 컬렉션�m comforted, jazzed, actually, by the diversity of people who are now serving,카지노 게임 컬렉션� he says.  

One of those people is Elena Christopoulos, who was elected to 카지노게임사이트 Council in 2022. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�I wanted to be honest that my experience at Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s was tough on my physical and mental health,카지노 게임 컬렉션� she says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s has made it clear that they want to hear about my experience, and they want to use it to help them do better. Universities typically move very slowly, and I카지노 게임 컬렉션�m proud to see that Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s is moving quickly. They카지노 게임 컬렉션�re asking the tough questions and listening to the voices that had previously been silenced.카지노 게임 컬렉션�  

카지노 게임 컬렉션�There is, increasingly, inclusive language and intentions in everything from job postings to the wording on assignments and exams and media releases,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Tatham adds. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�And then you look at things like land acknowledgements and identifying one카지노 게임 컬렉션�s pronouns below one카지노 게임 컬렉션�s email signature. Such things look and sound like lip service (and they are, for some), but, with time, they become commonplace, and they let more and more light in and redefine expectations.

Do I think it카지노 게임 컬렉션�s better? Absolutely. Now I can walk on campus and see same-sex couples casually holding hands in broad daylight. You didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t see that 10 years ago. You definitely didn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t see it when I was a student. Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s has seen great change in the past three decades, but it카지노 게임 컬렉션�s not perfect. There is plenty of work needed for greater support for 2SLGBTQ+ members of the Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s community -- and beyond.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

Indeed, members of the larger Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s community are still occasionally prone to backsliding into destructive old habits, dredging up hurtful memories in those who were around to experience them decades ago and creating new hurtful memories for a new generation of 2SLGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff. And Tatham, Veldhoven, Kelly, Gretsinger, Wesley, Christopoulos, and Blachford all agree that Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s can still do much more, especially for trans students, non-binary students, and BIPOC queer students.  

카지노 게임 컬렉션�We have a huge opportunity to set the standard,카지노 게임 컬렉션� Wesley says. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Queen카지노 게임 컬렉션�s is seen as a leader in post-secondary education. That was drilled into us as undergrads. On our first day, they told us, 카지노 게임 컬렉션�You카지노 게임 컬렉션�re the Harvard of the north. You카지노 게임 컬렉션�re the best of the best.카지노 게임 컬렉션� So, let카지노 게임 컬렉션�s be the best of the best by setting the bar high and fighting for everyone in our community, making sure everyone feels accepted and welcome. Let카지노 게임 컬렉션�s do even more to show them that they belong here and that we카지노 게임 컬렉션�re happy they카지노 게임 컬렉션�re here.카지노 게임 컬렉션�

¹The way members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community self-describe has evolved over the years. In the interest of inclusivity, we have chosen to use the contemporary term 카지노 게임 컬렉션�2SLGBTQ+카지노 게임 컬렉션� throughout this story.

This story was originally published i]on the Queen's Alumni website.