During this presentation, Dr. Gerald Walton will offer a situated and provocative reflection on the urgent need for cisgender and heterosexual co-conspiracy in queer activism. In response to rising anti-queer repression and authoritarianism in Canada, he will explore the possibilities and limitations of surpassing allyship, arguing that bold, united resistance across identities is essential for justice.

A sociologist by training, the focus of Gerald Walton’s research, teaching, and activism is exploring privilege in ways that support equity for marginalized groups of people in society. He identifies himself as both an insider and an outsider, drawing on both perspectives for activism toward social and institutional change.  

Coming out of the ‘cis-het’ closet. The time is now.

In its first year, the Social Justice Hub is supporting three groups of student organizers in developing campaigns that build community and address challenges faced by the QTBIPOC community (queer and trans Black, Indigenous, People of Colour), anti-xenophobia, and accessibility/disability community.

At the Social Justice Hub Open House on December 10, UM community created artwork for the theme, “A different world is possible,” which invited students and staff to portray the just world they hope to work towards.

Through the Social Justice Hub, students gain knowledge on how to put anti-oppression and EDIA into action and develop skills through training workshops and hands-on campaigns. Organizer teams are exploring how they can create safer spaces for QTBIPOC, challenge xenophobia and racism experienced by international students, and advocate for a sensory-friendly campus for neurodivergent students.

Having the chance to address inequities that directly affect students and their communities is one of the most impactful parts of the Social Justice Hub, and plays an important role in the development of future leaders and change-makers.

Elinam Okae-Yeboah, a fourth-year student in Women and Gender Studies and English, reflected on the impact of participating in the QTBIPOC team: “The university has many commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion, but it seems like the administration falls short when it comes to making material change or decisions that will support marginalized students. I think the Social Justice Hub is important because it provides marginalized students with the training that can help them advocate for themselves.”

The wider UM community is invited to participate in the Social Justice Hub by attending our upcoming events. Join us for the Social Justice Hub Drop-Ins on the last Thursday of each month from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. to engage in critical conversations on community organizing and social justice work. Register in advance or drop-in.

Upcoming Social Justice Hub Drop-Ins:

• February 27, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. – Self-care is community care, community care is self-care (CEL Office 203 – 55 Chancellors Circle)
• March 27, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Group agreements, safer spaces, and relational accountability (CEL Office 203 – 55 Chancellors Circle)
• April 24, 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. – The revolution will be from bed (virtual) 

To receive notifications about other Social Justice Hub events, sign-up for our mailing list and follow @CELumanitoba on Instagram to learn about more upcoming workshops, programs and events from Community Engaged Learning.

This initiative is part of a process of diversifying the University Art Collections by including contemporary artworks by members of systemically marginalized communities who are underrepresented in the collection.

Help create transformational change. Apply to be a committee member today!

Project Summary

The Diversifying the UM Art Collection Program will continue the transformational work begun by the Indigenous Student-Led Indigenous Art Purchase Program. A committee will be recruited from the University of Manitoba community for Winter Term 2025 and will consist of 5 to 7 students or staff who identify as belonging to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Committee members will meet artists and curators, visit studios, and select artwork to be acquired by the University of Manitoba University Art Collections. These new acquisitions of contemporary 2SLGBTQIA+ community artworks will be placed on display in public and semi-public spaces at UM, as possible.

Who We’re Looking For

• Current students at the University of Manitoba, from any faculty, who identify as belonging to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
• Current non-academic staff at the University of Manitoba, from any unit, who identify as belonging to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
• Preference will be given to individuals who are committed to equity work with understanding of intersectionality.
• Knowledge and experience working with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as well as established community relationships are assets.
• An interest in art, and contemporary 2SLGBTQIA+ art and artists.
• Experience in arts related fields is not necessary.

Program Details

• The Diversifying the UM Art Collection Program will run during Winter Term 2025 (January to April). Each subsequent term that the committee runs, a new committee will be recruited to reflect the targeted underrepresented group.
• The program will be intensive across Winter Term 2025, from January until March 31, 2025. A time commitment of one meeting per week is anticipated. Please consider this time commitment and whether it is conducive with other commitments and responsibilities before submitting your application.
• Committee members may engage with artists, curators, and select artworks for acquisition.
• Committee members will receive an honorarium.

Application Deadline: Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Apply now

Have questions? Please contact equity@umanitoba.ca.

“I’m originally from Ohpáskowayáhk, also known as OCN/The Pas, and I spent a lot of my teenage years feeling confused and secluded,” says Queskekapow. “I just didn’t see a lot of people who were like me and so I didn’t really know who I was.”

In late 2020, they left their home community to pursue post-secondary education at the University of Manitoba where they are now doing their undergrad with a B.A. in Indigenous Studies.

Sunday Queskekapow (photo by Azka Ahmed, bolo tie by artist Eli Bird)

Queskekapow also works as a community and youth engagement coordinator with 2Spirit Manitoba Inc., a research advisor with Manitoba Harm Reduction, and they sit on the provincial government’s advisory circle for suicide prevention policy, overseen by the Honourable Bernadette Smith.

“It’s definitely a lot of work for one person to do,” says Queskekapow. “But this isn’t just work for me, it’s my life. It’s the life that I’ve lived and it’s the life my community members are living.”

When Queskekapow was seventeen, they made the decision to pursue gender affirming care. With no access to a general practitioner, Queskekapow says they would pack up their rusted 2003 Dodge Neon and make regular trips into Winnipeg, seven hours away from their family and their supports, to receive the care they needed. They became homeless and spent some time sleeping on the couches of friends before saving enough money to move to Winnipeg and enroll in university.

“I had to be displaced from my community to receive care that everyone should have the right to,” says Queskekapow. “And because of all these obstacles, I made a vow to make it my life’s commitment to ensure that other 2SLGBTQIA+ youth in northern and rural communities will someday have equal access to gender affirming care.”

Queskekapow says they realized they needed a post-secondary education to do the work they wanted to do and were drawn to the Indigenous Studies program at UM.

Outside of school, Queskekapow’s work focuses on aiding 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Manitoba, with a more recent focus on northern and rural Manitoba communities. As someone from northern Manitoba, Queskekapow says they bring a perspective to the table that is often overlooked.

“I’ve sat in meetings where everyone is talking about very important issues, but I’ll notice that no one has mentioned how we’re going to help people in northern and remote communities,” says Queskekeapow. “And I’ve realized how important it is to have people like me, with my similar lived experience, in these spaces and in these rooms.”

Queskekapow says their goal is to go into policy work.

“My path has just been very clear. I see the need for Two-Spirit people at the decision-making tables, helping with policy – especially at different levels of government. Whether that might be within reserves, local municipalities, provincially or federally, it’s needed at all levels.”

As they continue to work toward their goals, Queskekapow is grateful for the community they’ve found in Winnipeg, and the connections they’ve made with Two-Spirit Elders – including Elders Charlotte Nolin, Barbara Bruce, Albert McLeod and Gayle Pruden.

“Just hearing all their stories of what they’ve done and what they’ve gone through helps me to realize that I can keep going,” says Queskekapow. “They’re making sure that things don’t have to be as hard for us as they were for them and now it’s our turn to do the same for the next generation.”

For Queskekapow, having Two-Spirit and Trans representation in their life has made a huge impact and helped them to see a future for themself they never could have imagined.

“I never thought I’d be where I am right now,” says Queskekapow. “I’ll be sitting in the Manitoba Legislative building and thinking to myself ‘how many northern, Two-Spirit Trans individuals have sat here?’”

And Queskekapow says they hope the work they do will help 2SLGBTQIA+ youth see that they can grow up to be happy adults.

“I was them once. And that part of me is still in here, guiding me and driving me to do the work that I do,” says Queskekapow. “Having representation and reassurance in my teenage years would have made things a lot easier for me.”

And that’s also why Queskekapow says celebrating Pride is so crucial for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

“It’s to show youth that they have the community, the support and the representation. To show them that people are always fighting for them,” says Queskekapow. “Pride is so much more than a celebration. It means freedom for all and it’s about showing 2SLGBTQIA+ youth that they can grow up to become happy adults and eventually, happy Elders too.”

A student at school slammed me into a locker and then kept walking. The next day, another kid grabbed my notebooks and threw them across the hallway floor. I was a thin, shy and effeminate kid, and these frequent encounters in high school wore me down. No one seemed to care about this harassment despite my complaints to the school staff. 

To give myself some reprieve and to stay out of harm’s way, I often went for my lunch break to the nearby horse stables. The stables were dirty and smelled of manure. I had no table or chair, so I ate my sandwich in a stall. 

To read Robert’s full story, please visit CBC News. 

For this reason and many more, University of Manitoba employees can now benefit from culturally sensitive counselling services through a new Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) Kii by CloudMD. Kii offers mental health supports for the BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, along with Elder and Knowledge Keeper supports for Indigenous employees.

“As a community committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, the University of Manitoba recognizes the impacts these lived experiences can have on our employees’ mental health and well-being,” said Rene Ouellette, Associate Vice-President (Human Resources). “We’re proud to enhance this commitment and offer UM employees mental health supports that suit their individual needs and identities.”

Employees can look forward to working with counsellors and therapists from diverse backgrounds who have experience working with BIPOC or 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals or have lived experiences as members of these communities.

Elder and Knowledge keeper supports for First Nations, Métis and Inuit employees involves a specific intake process that first pursues the client’s requested Elder/Knowledge Keeper. If you don’t have a specific Elder/Knowledge Keeper in mind, the intake nurse care coordinator at Kii will attempt to connect you with a counsellor who has lived experience or therapeutic experience working with Indigenous Peoples.

UM employees who have questions about the intake process or the services Kii provides can call Kii at 1-866-814-0018 or log into the Kii online portal.

This is an important time for the university to demonstrate our commitment to being a welcoming and inclusive community, and to show allyship with two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual or gender identities (2SLGBTQIA+).

We would love to hear about all the different events happening at UM during Pride Week (May 24 to June 2) and throughout Pride Month. Simply fill out the UM Pride Events form to share your event details so we can help promote a full itinerary of events taking place on our campuses.

Save the date and sign up today to join UM at the parade on June 2, when UM will once again come together to proudly participate in the Pride Winnipeg Parade. 

For information about all UM Pride community events, visit the 2SLGBTQIA+ community webpage.

Led by Dr. Robert Mizzi, Canada Research Chair and associate professor in the Faculty of Education, the initiative titled “Mobilizing 2SLGBTQ+ History through Artivism” aims to bridge the gap between past and present activism. Partnering with community members, including the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Rainbow Resource Centre and Two Spirit Manitoba, the project will present new educational opportunities.

The mural created by Patrick Hunt, a two-spirit, Ojibwe painter, graphic designer and award-winning entrepreneur from Red Lake, Ontario will represent diverse narratives of 2SLGBTQ+ community in Canada, including Indigenous Two-Spirit histories with settler LGBTQ experiences. This approach acknowledges the intersectionality in 2SLGBTQ+ identities.

Through art and education, the project looks to illuminate the past and build a more inclusive society.

That commitment is demonstrated year round, most notably each June during Pride Month through UM’s active support of and participation in one of the most prominent community events, the Pride Winnipeg Parade.

As Pride evolves, so too should our visual experience and the look and feel of UM Pride. To help guide us on how UM should be represented and reflected at Pride, we want to hear from you, our community. Take a few minutes to fill out the

Bring your voice and ideas about how we appear at the parade, what a new or refreshed t-shirt design could incorporate, what giveaways could be and other new ideas to help elevate the UM Pride experience. All aspects of Pride are centered around community and inclusivity, and it is with this mindset that we embark on the next version of our visual experience of UM Pride.

You can participate in open in-person consultation sessions on the Fort Gary and Bannatyne campuses, or through the online feedback form. The online form will open on Monday, January 22 and close on Wednesday, February 7, 2024.

Fort Garry campus
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Location: Engineering – Room E2-150
Time: 12 -2 p.m.

Bannatyne campus
Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Location: Brodie Centre – Room 405
Time: 12 -2 p.m.

Our community is diverse and we want to make sure that every voice is heard and represented in our new pride visual experience. We look forward to hearing from you!

Pride Month is an annual celebration each June. Pride Week is an annual celebration by Pride Winnipeg. The next Pride Week will take place May 24 – June 2, 2024 with the annual Pride Winnipeg Parade taking place on June 2.

Elder Mae Louise Campbell, Jamie Goulet, and Debra Diubaldo from the Clan Mother’s Healing Village led ceremony while staff, students, and community members from Mount Carmel Clinic shared stories of remembrance, violence, and the need for change.

“We have a responsibility in social work to advocate for policies and practices, both within the university and beyond, that allow two-spirit, trans and gender diverse folks to thrive,” says Dr. Christine Mayor (she/her), assistant professor, Faculty of Social Work.

Given the rise of anti-trans rhetoric and violence, this day is also a call to action for all cisgender people to work in solidarity to dismantle cisgenderism, colonialism, sexism, racism, poverty, and other systems of oppression that continue to disproportionately impact racialized trans, two-spirit, and gender diverse peoples. This work is needed both within and outside of the Faculty of Social Work.

Two-Spirit and Transgender Day of Remembrance is an annual observance on November 20^th that honours the memory of transgender, two-spirit, and gender diverse people whose lives were lost due to anti-transgender violence. It was founded in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith to memorialize the murder of Rita Hester.