Queer Devotions
By Rainbow Faith and Freedom
Queer DevotionsJun 28, 2021
What Counts as Work for Queer and Trans People? Spiritual Reclamations with Comic Artist and Illustrator Syan Rose
What gets to count as work for queer and trans people? This is a question illustrator and comic artist Syan Rose's remarkable collection, Our Work is Everywhere: An Illustrated Oral History of Queer and Trans Resistance, explores through illustrations of her interviews with activists. Published this year, Rose provides an energetic source of connection and community. On our Queer Devotions podcast, we got a chance to ask Rose about the process of interviewing and illustrating so many activists across the country.
Some highlights include: "Queer Muslim Family" with Mirna Haidar, “Everything You Love About New Orleans is Because of Black People,” a conversation with Phlegm, "Our Brown Divinity" with Dusty Lamay and “Auriga” with Jaye Sablan. This work also comes with naming Black, Indigenous and people of colour as originators of queer cultures, joy, community care, healing, and so much more.
Transpirituality and Recovery with A Queer Chaplain Bonnie Violet
Bonnie Violet, a trans, gender queer drag queen, has many stories to tell. Growing up in Idaho, Bonnie Violet first found a fulfilling community in church and felt a calling within her to be of service to others. But her queerness and transness didn’t feel compatible, at first, with the church, and she left it for a decade.
But that calling still lived within Bonnie, as she worked in HIV/AIDS advocacy, and she began to reclaim the spiritual thread in her life, undertaking a remarkable process of healing that she shares in our Queer Devotions podcast.
Now Bonnie Violet is “A Queer Chaplain” with a vibrant YouTube page and Facebook group, where she interviews drag queens about their spirituality, hosts multifaith discussions about transness and spirituality, and talks across the religious divide with her conservative aunt in a podcast called, Splintered Grace. Her work provides spiritual and pastoral care to queer and trans folks who are so often denied it.
Standout episodes of her Drag & Spirituality series include her discussion with Ms. Penny Cost, Fonda Coxx, and a multifaith discussion with Mango Lassi, Coco Sho-Nell, LoUis CYfer.
This work is now included in our Resource Portal, launched today with other work focused on the spiritual care of queer and trans people. This includes the memoir of Rev. Dr. Cheri NiNovo, The Queer Evangelist, Beloved Arise’s album, Serenade, Ivan Coyote’s new book Care Of: Letters, Connections, and Cures, and the article from Autrostraddle, “Queering Faith: Reclaiming the Holy of Spirituality.”
The Queerituality Road Trip with Queer Chaplain Mandi Rice
In 2013, the queer chaplain Mandi Rice embarked on the ‘Queerituality’ road trip, speaking with nearly 100 people across 17 American cities, asking one very big question: “What is life like for you at the intersection of queerness & spirituality?” On our Queer Devotions podcast, Rice described the incredible organic momentum of the project and its legacy almost ten years later, as well as the ‘Queerituality Guide' she put together which condensed her findings. The Queerituality Road Trip and A Queerituality Guide, are now, excitingly, a part of our Resource Portal.
Conversion Therapy is Still Prevalent in Canada, So How Do We Finally End the Practice? With Dr. Travis Salway
In June of this year, our guest, Dr. Travis Salway, published an astonishing report with co-authors about the continued prevalence of conversion therapy in Canada, which you can read in full here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0252539. Among the many important findings, the report shows that 67% of conversion therapy happens in religious contexts, for the population they studied. We sat down with Dr. Salway to discuss this report and talk about how RFF and others can fight for a federal ban of the practice.
There are some incredible resources available that dive deeper into survivors' stories and the history of conversion therapy. Here is No Conversion Canada: https://www.noconversioncanada.com/contact-1, which features some heartbreaking and mobilizing stories. UnErased: The History of Conversion Therapy in America is a production from WYNC Studios and Radiolab, made in partnership with the film, Boy Erased. It's a four part series: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/unerased-the-history-of-conversion-therapy-in-america/id1439513792.
Why Are Queer and Trans Youth Such a Disproportionate Part of the Houseless Population in Canada? With Dr. Alex Abramovich
Dr. Alex Abramovich, our guest today, is an expert on 2SLGBTQ+ youth houselessness - and has been addressing the issue for the past 10 years. Internationally recognized for his work, Dr. Abramovich is one of few Canadian researchers studying the phenomenon of queer and trans youth homelessness. In our conversation today, I ask about why queer and trans youth are so much more likely to be housing insecure than their cisgender or heterosexual peers, how religious intolerance plays a role in forcing youth out of their homes, what kinds of interventions work and the available affirming services youth can access.
Just a note: there is talk of suicidality, self-harm and childhood abuse.
PFLAG, Faith in Our Families: https://pflag.org/resource/faith-our-families
Sprott House: https://ymcagta.org/find-a-y/ymca-sprott-house
More about Dr. Abramovich: https://www.camh.ca/en/science-and-research/science-and-research-staff-directory/alexabramovich
Mapping the Landscape of Faith-Based Heterosexism and Transphobia in Canada
Today's episode is a bit different. Today, Queer Devotions features an audio production of RFF's report, "Mapping the Landscape of Faith-Based Heterosexism and Transphobia in Canada," which compiles research to ask: which sectors of society are most influenced by religious bias on the basis of sexual or gender minority status? If you'd like to read the text or follow along, please visit: https://rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/blog/2021/6/3/rff-report-mapping-the-landscape-of-faith-based-heterosexism-and-transphobia-in-canada
This document is the first of its kind and aims to beget more research and greater investment into thinking through these questions. Religiosity continues to be one of the strongest determinants of a person’s view of homosexuality. While a largely secular society, Canada’s institutions are built on a foundation of 'Christian' norms of heteronormativity and transphobia. These sectors include the family, worship communities, healthcare and education.
“From Prisons to Dyke Bars:" The Music and Politics of Singer-Songwriter Faith Nolan
Accomplished activist and musician Faith Nolan is a global-minded lesbian who takes her music from prisons to dyke bars. In our last official episode of the series, Faith talks about her deep roots in queer, women’s and anti-poverty activism. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Faith is the founder and director of three different choirs in Toronto, and a producer of the film, Within These Cages, about women in prison. Faith and I had a lively conversation, and she discussed the contributions of lesbians to many things - including fashion - that are often under-recognized. It was a true delight to speak with Faith.
Some of the work Faith talks about: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow is Enuf https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/for-colored-girls-who-have-considered-suicide-when-the-rainbow-is-enuf-ntozake-shange/1101007683
Listen to Faith's music! https://soundcloud.com/faith-nolan-2
This podcast is a remote project funded through the Michael Lynch History Grant through the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies. Angela Stanley, Hannah Maitland, Stephanie Jonsson and Brigitte Pawliw-Fry from the core members of the team. Out of the Closet is a partner on the series. along with New Horizons Senior Center.
The Queer Evangelist with Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo
Today’s guest needs no introduction - Rev. Dr. Cheri DiNovo gives new meaning to the word icon. With the Order of Canada, a seat in Ontario parliament for twelve years, and as the only woman to sign Canada's first gay liberation manifesto "We Demand" in 1971, Cheri has done it all. This April, Cheri put out a new book called, "The Queer Evangelist," a memoir which looks back at her 50+ years of activism. In this conversation, we discussed radicalism versus reform and what resistance means today. We are also excited to announce that Cheri will be joining us for a book talk on June 17th at 8pm.
As Grassroots As It Gets: Pushing for Same-Sex Equality in the 90s with Cait Glasson
Cait Glasson is singular - a polyglot, linguist and translator - who also moonlights as a gamer YouTuber. In 1994, Cait formed a core part of a key battle for queer rights in Ontario, pushing then Premier Bob Rae and his ilk to include same-sex equality rights in the omnibus bill. It ultimately failed - by nine votes - and showed the continued power of religious conservatives to influence politicians' stances on queer rights, particularly in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. Cait is generous with her stories and speaks vulnerably about the toll the pandemic has taken on her, calling for greater radicalism in old age. We thank Cait deeply!
Stay tuned for more podcasts as we ramp up for Pride month and announce a live event with our featured guests.
Here is Cait's Twitter: https://twitter.com/FullmtalFemnist
The Impact of the AIDS Epidemic Decades On with Anthony Mohamed
Today on Resisting the Script: 25+ Years of Queer Activism, we will be talking with Anthony Mohamed. Anthony is an award-winning community activist, and has worked to bring equity to healthcare, across Ontario and in Toronto. In this episode, Anthony shares his eyewitness accounts of the gay liberation movement and watching the AIDS epidemic unfold around him, first called the “gay disease.” Anthony shares how it transformed queer communities in Toronto - and reflects on the core politics that unite the different struggles he has engaged in.
The Poetics of Queer Resistance: An Hour with Nicole Tanguay
In our first official episode of the series, Resisting the Script: 25+ Years of Queer Activism, the poet and activist Nicole Tanguay joins to talk about their forty plus years of attending demos, raising hell and the experiences of queerness later in life. We say the biggest thank you to Nicole!
If you'd like to learn more about Nicole's work, here are a few places to check out:
Any Other Way: How Toronto Got Queer: https://chbooks.com/Books/A/Any-Other-Way
The Yellow Medicine Review: https://blackcoffeepoet.com/tag/yellow-medicine-review-queer-international-voices/
Beth Brant's work: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/beth-brant
Chrystos' work: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/chrystos
Caremongering: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51915723
Thank you to the wonderful team - Hannah Maitland, Stephanie Jonsson, and Angela Stanley.
Here are links to our land acknowledgements:
Reparations work, including Resource Generation: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/queer-devotions/id1539414887?i=1000500801900
Bonus Episode: 'Fighting the Good Fight 45 Years Later' with LeZlie Lee Kam
Today in our first unofficial episode of the series, LeZlie Lee Kam, community organizer and founder of Out of the Closet Lecture Series, joined to speak about why this project matters, how queer seniors' experiences are marginalized within 2SLGBTQ+ conversations and the invisibilized impacts of COVID-19 on the community. Want to learn more about LeZlie's series?
YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwtKtQRA5ttO87By1w6ikg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OUToftheClosetLectureSeries.
Thank you again and thank you to our wonderful team: Angela Stanley, Stephanie Jonsson and Hannah Maitland.
Join us next week for our first episode with Nicole Tanguay!
Here is LeZlie's full bio:
"I am a world majority, brown, trini, Carib, Indo, Chinese, callaloo, differently-abled, queer DYKE elder/senior..67 years young..
I live my life from an anti-oppression, anti-racism, anti-colonial, intersectional and
inter-generational perspective..I advocate for 2 Spirit, Indigenous, black and brown queer and transgender people AND Queer Seniors..
I enjoy doubles, dancing, dim sum, a cold beverage and a hot “lime “ anytime..
My EXISTENCE is my RESISTANCE!"
Resisting the Script: 25+ Years of Queer Activism Series Trailer
Queer elders’ stories matter! Announcing, Resisting the Script: 25+ Years of Queer Activism, a special series in partnership with Out of the Closet Lecture Series and New Horizons for 2SLGBTQ Older Adults. Through this podcast we hope to introduce you to unwritten histories of queer organizing in Ontario, the people who are central to these histories and direct witness to them.
These voices in this series include Nicole Tanguay, poet and community worker, Cheri DiNovo, politician and reverend, Cait Glasson, community organizer and translator, and Anthony Mohamed, policy specialist, among many others. This work has been graciously funded by the Michael Lynch History Grant through the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, as well as RFF.
I’ve been working with a wonderful team to make this series possible - Angela Stanley, Stephannie Jonsson and Hannah Maitland and special thanks to my brother, Westley Pawliw-fry for designing our lovely music.
Pillar Episode: Queering the Talk with Hannah Maitland
How do we hold conversations about what it means to be both LGBTQ2S+ and religious or spiritual? How do we learn to frame discussions of gender, sexuality and faith in effective ways? Brigitte interviews Hannah Maitland, a PhD student at York University, who has led a successful series on queer pedagogies with her colleagues, identifying key tools to bring into your next discussion.
Pillar Episode: Catholics in Recovery with Elders leZlie lee kam and Lila Pine
This is a very special episode that we are rereleasing this week! In the fall, Brigitte spoke with facilitator and storyteller, leZlie lee kam, and academic and artist, Lila Pine, two elders and dear friends who came to know each other through a performance in the Youth Elders Project at Buddies in Bad Times in Toronto. Describing their shared experiences of being schooled in Catholic institutions and the violent colonialism enacted upon both of their communities, leZlie and Lila reflect on their dual processes of reclaiming spirituality and rejecting the shame of institutionalized Catholicism.
In leZlie's words: "I am a world majority, brown, trini, Carib, Indo, Chinese, callaloo, differently-abled, queer DYKE elder/senior..67 years young. I live my life from an anti-oppression, anti-racism, anti-colonial, intersectional and inter-generational perspective..I advocate for 2 Spirit, Indigenous, black and brown queer and transgender people AND Queer Seniors.. I enjoy doubles, dancing, dim sum, a cold beverage and a hot “lime “ anytime.. My EXISTENCE is my RESISTANCE!"
Lila Pine is a New Media artist and Indigenous thinker. She is the Director of Saagajiwe, FCAD’s Indigenous Communication and Design network, whose mission is to facilitate the creation and dissemination of Indigenous thought and ways of knowing and doing at Ryerson University and in the larger Indigenous community in Toronto.
Lila is the Principle Investigator of Imag(in)ing Indigeneity in Language, a SSHRC funded program of research creation. Through the visualization of sound, Imag(in)ing Indigeneity in Language seeks to develop a way of “seeing” language in order to identify distinct qualities in the speaking of different languages. It employs digital art creation as a scholarly research tool and it engages Indigenous research methods to shift perceptions around the relationship of language to worldviews and ecological concerns.
Lila is also collaborating with Buffy Sainte-Marie on a project called Creative Native: Youth Mentorship in the Arts Initiative. The Creative Native Project will bring touring multi-arts festivals to First Nations communities across Canada. Beginning in Ontario the festival will showcase local and professional Indigenous entertainers and artists of all kinds, while building a corps of local Indigenous youth who will take leadership positions in doable jobs and then mentor their peers at subsequent community events.
Lila teaches Indigenous Media and New Media courses. She received her MFA from York University in Toronto and PhD from the European Graduate School. In 2011, she defended her dissertation, entitled Memory Matters: Touching the Untouchable, which theorizes oral, literate and “electrate” cultures, as well as the divergence and convergence of Indigenous and Eurocentric ways of knowing. Dr. Pine graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Pillar Episode: Decolonizing Gender with Anthropologist Hazim Ismail
This is such a favourite episode that we are releasing it with a new intro! Queer, nonbinary and Muslim anthropologist Hazim Ismail brings to Queer Devotions a wealth of knowledge on the long history of gender fluidity and colonialism’s role in imposing strict and violent definitions. In a deeply informative conversation, Brigitte speaks with Hazim about how misconceptions of the incompatibility with queerness and religion, their early teachings about gender in a Muslim context, and so much more.
Want to learn more? Visit our RFF database to explore more about non-Western gender fluidity: https://rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/resource-portal.
Further, there are countless books and podcasts about sexuality and Islam. One of my favourites is called Hidayah, Queer Muslim Stories, and can be listened to here: https://www.hidayahlgbt.com/podcast.
From the Bathhouse Raids to Black Lives Matter: 40 Years Since Brent Hawkes' Hunger Strike
Today is a special bonus episode to commemorate and contextualize the 40 years since Brent Hawkes' went on a 25-day hunger strike in protest of the Bathhouse Raids, which was the second largest mass arrest in Canadian history. On February 5th, 1981, police arrested hundreds of men at gay bathhouses in the city, brutalizing them and causing thousands of dollars in property damages. The city erupted immediately in protest and a new LGBTQ movement was born with it.
I spoke with Brent and asked him about what gave rise to these protests, the immediate aftermath, and the trajectory of the raids in conjunction with Black Lives Matter and calls for racial justice within the queer community.
There are many helpful resources to learn more about this:
Track Two: Enough is Enough is a groundbreaking documentary about the raids, which is available on Xtra Magazine's YouTube channel.
Professor Rinaldo Walcott wrote up a piece. called "Black Lives Matter, police and Pride: Toronto activists spark a movement" for The Conversation and it's a great introduction to the protests.
This is a longer video of the Pride shutdown, where Black Lives Matter Toronto issues their demands. It is horrifying to watch as the crowd boos the protestors.
This is an academic investigation into the media discourse surrounding how queerness is situated as White: Queer inclusion precludes (Black) queer disruption: media analysis of the Black lives matter Toronto sit-in during Toronto Pride 2016.
I mentioned the activists Sandy Hudson (https://twitter.com/sandela), Syrus Marcus Ware (https://twitter.com/TrudoLemmens), Janaya Khan (https://twitter.com/janaya_khan) and Alexandria Williams.
Credit for Audio:
Track Two: Enough is Enough by filmmakers Harry Sutherland, Gordon Keith and Jack Lemmon, which has a fascinating history. If you'd like to learn more about it, Xtra Magazine has written up it's history: https://www.dailyxtra.com/track-two-58046.
Black Lives Matter sit-in at Toronto Pride 2016 | 4K, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57NbmDL06gU&ab_channel=cheatingthesystem21
Black Lives Matter Chant at the 2016 Pride Parade, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d4Q3EfPD4w&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=XtraMagazine.
Putting Queer Seniors to the Front and Fighting Ford's Sanction of Religious-Based Homophobia with MPP Jill Andrew
Today, on the podcast we have the great honour of hearing from Dr. Jill Andrew, the MPP from Toronto-St Paul’s, and in this episode she describes her fight against the profit model in long term care homes, the issues facing queer seniors, and opposing the homophobia and transphobia that so housed within the Ford government.
We spoke about the Ontario Senior Pride Network's submission to the long-term care commission. Read more about it here: http://cloud2.snappages.com/dc2e80b91489071f85f20ad99eab8984caed145e/LTC%20COVID-19%20Commission%20Submission.pdf.
Special thanks to LeZlie Lee Kam for connecting me with Jill Andrew.
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!
https://twitter.com/rainbow_freedom
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Season Two Trailer: Queer Histories and Futures
Queer Devotions is back for Season Two.
I’m Brigitte Pawliw-Fry, your host and a Rainbow Faith and Freedom researcher focused on where faith-based homophobia and transphobia manifest in Canada. Queer Devotions seeks to uncover those stories in new ways, help us conceptualize queerness and spirituality as places of transformative justice and point to activists, scholars and community members doing this work.
Part of season two is looking back, exploring our most popular episodes and also bringing you new ones, including my interview with MPP Dr. Jill Andrew, the first Black and Queer person first elected to the Ontario Legislature and reportedly in Canada, who has fought tirelessly for LGBTQ2S+ and progressive issues in Ontario.
We’ll also hear from Carmen Del Rae, the drag queen who performed with us for Faith in Crisis, about her experience in the divinity of drag.
We’re also looking forward to a special series this spring, 25 Years of Queer Activism partnering Out of the Closet lecture series to bring you oral histories with queer seniors, which has been generously funded by the Michael Lynch History Grant from the University of Toronto
Make sure to subscribe to Queer Devotions wherever you get your podcast and look for new podcasts every Tuesday.
Music Credits to Westley Pawliw-Fry. Listen to his Songs in the Key of Life podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/songs-in-the-key-of-life/id1535578103.
Reconnecting Communities of Faith Land Acknowledgement
For each day of programming of Faith in Crisis, we seek to acknowledge the first peoples who have inhabited and cared for the land we now call Canada, and the ongoing existence and struggle for reconciliation and justice. These acknowledgements are limited in their ability to address even a small part of centuries long history of genocide, land theft and institutionalized racism. We hope to use these recordings to provide opportunity for more learning and reflection, as well as calling participants to action with additional resources.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18i4T1QYMBwJbR3dH7eKtx-1B06a9_mj5CtuQP4PviMg/edit?usp=sharing
Coming Out as Trans in Orthodox Judaism and Advocating for Queer Seniors with Shoshana Pellman
Warning for listeners: this podcast contains descriptions of anti-Semitism, transphobia and the Holocaust.
Fierce advocate Shoshana Pellman joins Queer Devotions to discuss her experiences with being a Jewish trans woman, and her process of becoming the advocate she is today. A member of the Senior Pride Network, she works on issues facing queer seniors, in particular in healthcare facilities and Jewish institutions.
Read more about Shoshana here and listen to her on Out in the Open: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/outintheopen/ageing-1.4313239/living-in-fear-of-dementia-as-a-transgender-woman-1.4313528
Learn more about the book, Textual Activism, Shoshana mentions on the podcast: https://www.tikkun.org/book-review-textual-activism-by-rabbi-mike-moskowitz
Mental Health Day Land Acknowledgement with Josie Spalla
This petition can be signed to help bring attention to the lack of rights given to Mi’kmaw fisheries in Nova Scotia: https://www.change.org/p/justin-trudeau-help-nova-scotia-natives-keep-their-right-to-fish
For more information on the conflict in Nova Scotia: https://globalnews.ca/news/7403001/nova-scotia-lobster-explained/
This website outlines all the ways you can help the Mi’kmaq, as well as lists important articles, activists, and petitions: https://whoacanada.wordpress.com/2020/10/15/how-to-support-mikmaq-fishers-asserting-treaty-rights-in-nova-scotia/
Indigenous organizations in the Maritimes that you can support:
The Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative: http://mikmaqrights.com/
Reconciliation Canada:https://reconciliationcanada.ca/
First Light is located in what many call Newfoundland, and is a registered non-profit organization that serves the urban Indigenous and non-Indigenous community alike by providing programs and services rooted in the revitalization, strengthening and celebration of Indigenous cultures and languages in the spirit of trust, respect, and friendship in Atlantic Canada: https://firstlightnl.ca/
The Indigenous Women of The Wabanaki Territories (IWWT) operate in unceded Wolostoqey/Mi’kmak’ki territory of the Wolostoqey/Mi’kmaq peoples, in what many call New Brunswick. The group provides spirituality and wellness programs, as well as educational and workplace skills:https://iwwt.ca/
The Wabanaki Two Spirit Alliance works across the Wabanaki Territory (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland/Labrador, Gaspé region of Quebec, and Maine (northern areas in Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Tribal territories), to represent the emotional, spiritual, mental and physical well-being and interests of Two Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ+ individuals: http://w2sa.ca/
Drag Healing: Coming Out and Coming Into Authentic Performance with Brian Cope
Brigitte speaks with performer, Brian Cope, who began his career as a cast member in the Youth Elders Project and currently stars in Drag Heals. Performing in burlesque shows and a wide variety of theatre projects, Brian’s work explores intergenerational connection, authenticity, and the resilient human spirit. In their conversation, Brian describes the challenges of his early life, and how the process of coming out enabled him to share his light with others, live true to his values, and serve as an elder to his community.
Decolonizing Gender with Hazim Ismail
Queer, nonbinary and Muslim anthropologist Hazim Ismail brings to Queer Devotions a wealth of knowledge on the long history of gender fluidity and colonialism’s role in imposing strict and violent definitions. In a deeply informative conversation, Brigitte speaks with Hazim about how misconceptions of the incompatibility with queerness and religion, their early teachings about gender in a Muslim context, and so much more.
Multi-Faith Launch Day Land Acknowledgement
For our call to action today, I want to draw our attention to Resource Movement in terms of the reparations we can be committed to. Those of us who are here as white settlers have stolen wealth, and it is our duty to make reparations for that wealth. How are you supporting mutual aid funds for Indigenous communities? How are you using your wealth - whether that be social capital or financial capital - to decenter your voice and put material benefits towards folks on the ground? I am asking these questions as much to myself as I am to you.
Catholics in Recovery with leZlie lee kam and Lila Pine
In this episode, Brigitte speaks with facilitator and storyteller, leZlie lee kam, and academic and artist, Lila Pine, two elders and dear friends who came to know each other through a performance in the Youth Elders Project at Buddies in Bad Times in Toronto. Describing their shared experiences of being schooled in Catholic institutions and the violent colonialism enacted upon both of their communities, leZlie and Lila reflect on their dual processes of reclaiming spirituality and rejecting the shame of institutionalized Catholicism.
In leZlie's words: "I am a world majority, brown, trini, Carib, Indo, Chinese, callaloo, differently-abled, queer DYKE elder/senior..67 years young.. I live my life from an anti-oppression, anti-racism, anti-colonial, intersectional and inter-generational perspective..I advocate for 2 Spirit, Indigenous, black and brown queer and transgender people AND Queer Seniors.. I enjoy doubles, dancing, dim sum, a cold beverage and a hot “lime “ anytime.. My EXISTENCE is my RESISTANCE!"
Lila Pine is a New Media artist and Indigenous thinker. She is the Director of Saagajiwe, FCAD’s Indigenous Communication and Design network, whose mission is to facilitate the creation and dissemination of Indigenous thought and ways of knowing and doing at Ryerson University and in the larger Indigenous community in Toronto.
Lila is the Principle Investigator of Imag(in)ing Indigeneity in Language, a SSHRC funded program of research creation. Through the visualization of sound, Imag(in)ing Indigeneity in Language seeks to develop a way of “seeing” language in order to identify distinct qualities in the speaking of different languages. It employs digital art creation as a scholarly research tool and it engages Indigenous research methods to shift perceptions around the relationship of language to worldviews and ecological concerns.
Lila is also collaborating with Buffy Sainte-Marie on a project called Creative Native: Youth Mentorship in the Arts Initiative. The Creative Native Project will bring touring multi-arts festivals to First Nations communities across Canada. Beginning in Ontario the festival will showcase local and professional Indigenous entertainers and artists of all kinds, while building a corps of local Indigenous youth who will take leadership positions in doable jobs and then mentor their peers at subsequent community events.
Lila teaches Indigenous Media and New Media courses. She received her MFA from York University in Toronto and PhD from the European Graduate School. In 2011, she defended her dissertation, entitled Memory Matters: Touching the Untouchable, which theorizes oral, literate and “electrate” cultures, as well as the divergence and convergence of Indigenous and Eurocentric ways of knowing. Dr. Pine graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Seniors Day Land Acknowledgement with leZlie lee kam
On our Seniors Day land acknowledgement, leZlie lee kam speaks to the land that is now to referred to as Toronto and Ontario.
"I am a world majority, brown, trini, Carib, Indo, Chinese, callaloo, differently-abled, queer DYKE elder/senior...67 years young..
I live my life from an anti-oppression, anti-racism, anti-colonial, intersectional and
inter-generational perspective..I advocate for 2 Spirit, Indigenous, black and brown queer and transgender people AND Queer Seniors..
I enjoy doubles, dancing, dim sum, a cold beverage and a hot “lime “ anytime..
My EXISTENCE is my RESISTANCE!"
Queering the Talk: Queer Pedagogies with Hannah Maitland
How do we hold conversations about what it means to be both LGBTQ2S+ and religious or spiritual? How do we learn to frame discussions of gender, sexuality and faith in effective ways? Brigitte interviews Hannah Maitland, a PhD student at York University, who has led a successful series on queer pedagogies with her colleagues, identifying key tools to bring into your next discussion.
Haven't yet registered yet? Go to this link and get your free ticket: https://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis/index.html.
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/rainbowfaithandfreedom.
Learn more on our website: https://www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/.
Youth Day Land Acknowledgement with Diana Probivaniets
Warning to listeners: this podcast includes description of suicide and racism.
On our Youth Day land acknowledgement, Diana Pobivanets, an RFF Researcher, speaks to the land that is now to referred to as Alberta and Saskatchewan.
1. Article - https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/07/04/news/walk-pile-bones
2. Saskatchewan Aboriginal Women's Circle Corporation (SAWCC) - https://sawcc-nwac.ca/
3. Manitoba Moon Voices - https://www.manitobamoonvoices.com/
4. Two- Spirited People of Manitoba - https://twospiritmanitoba.ca/
Why Diana is a Part of RFF:
"It's important for people to have meaningful connections and have access to a strong support system, even in the best of times. At a time when folks ache for a sense of community the most, the Multi-Faith-Based Resources Pillar is an invaluable project. We are creating an inclusive and welcoming virtual space where people can engage in conversation, ask important questions and find like-minded communities. In a time of uncertainty and isolation, having access to affirming and engaging resources is vital and I am grateful to be part of a team that makes this possible."
Reclaiming the Role of Two-Spirit People in Society with Chevi Rabbit
Note to listeners: this podcast includes description of sexual assault, racism and gender based violence. Queer Devotions host, Brigitte Pawliw-Fry, speaks with advocate Chevi Rabbit, an activist known for leading anti-transphobia efforts in Edmonton and the wider province of Alberta. In the course of the conversation, Chevi reflects on her earlier experiences with religion and spirituality, the process of rejecting the colonized learnings of misogyny and patriarchy within her own community, and the long role of Two-Spirit people in Indigenous societies.
Haven't yet registered yet? Go to this link and get your free ticket: https://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis/index.html.
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/rainbowfaithandfreedom.
Learn more on our website: https://www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/.
Launch Day Land Acknowledgement with Hazim Ismail
Facebook Group with Call to Action Video:
https://www.facebook.com/wetsuwetenstrong/
System Fail: Landback Video
https://www.facebook.com/199700056830375/videos/270046671073633/
Wet'suwet'en Supporter Toolkit
https://unistoten.camp/supportertoolkit2020/
Film Screening by Settlers Taking Action, of 'Invasion':
The Tyee Article on Wet'suwet'en
https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2020/02/06/Wetsuweten-Raids-Canada-Chooses-Colonialism-Again/
Haven't yet registered yet? Go to this link and get your free ticket: https://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis/index.html.
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/rainbowfaithandfreedom.
Learn more on our website: https://www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/.
Becoming an Elder in the Trans Community with Activist Susan Gapka
Today, I get to speak with the legendary Susan Gapka, who has fought long and hard for trans rights in Canada. With her characteristic wit and humour, Susan discusses her upbringing, early refusal of organized religion and the status quo, and her process of coming out and coming to trans politics in Toronto. Susan will join us for launch week on Thursday, November 26th to discuss spirituality and aging at 11 am on a panel with elder leZlie Lee Kam and moderated by the great Ty Sloane.
Haven't yet registered yet? Go to this link and get your free ticket: https://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis/index.html
Read more about Susan here: https://ilga.org/trans-steering-committee-North-America
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/rainbowfaithandfreedom
Learn more on our website: https://www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/
Susan Gapka is a dedicated campaigner for social justice highlighting her record on affordable housing, homelessness, mental health, harm reduction & lesbian, gay, bisexual & trans issues since coming out as a community leader 20 years ago.
As founder and chair of the Trans Lobby Group Susan helped lead a lengthy campaign to persuade the Minister of Health to fund Sex Reassignment Surgery for trans people in Ontario, helped change the Vital Statistics Act sex designation so that trans people's legal documents more accurately reflect their lived identity, and amended the Ontario Human Rights Code to include 'gender identity' and 'gender expression'. Susan also help mount a national campaign to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code Hate Crimes to include protections for gender identity and gender expression .
Susan has served on the Toronto Local Advisory Committee & as Toronto representative on the National Consumer Panel of the At Home/Chez Soi Research Demonstration Project, the Housing Component for the Mental Health Commission of Canada.
She also served on the Board of Pride Toronto which hosted World Pride 2014 and is past Fierté Canada Pride's Central Regional Director for Ontario.
Susan has been employed at The 519 since 2015 in the Education
Department as an Education and Training facilitator. She was elected
to CUPE Ontario Pink Triangle Committee in December 2017 and appointed
to CUPE National Pink Triangle Committee in January 2018. In June 2019
she was elected to CUPE Ontario Executive Board as the Pink Triangle
representative.
Susan has a degree in Political Science from York University & a
diploma in Community Work from George Brown College.
How Can Faith Communities Affirm and Validate Trans Identities? With Susan Gapka
Legendary activist Susan Gapka joins Queer Devotions on Friday, November 20th. In this exclusive clip, listen to how Susan describes faith communities can actively welcome and make space for trans folks. This includes focusing on a core part of what an organization can offer: ceremonies and memorials that commemorate people as they are.
Faith in Crisis: The Future of Fighting Faith-Based LGBTQ2S+ Discrimination with Dr. Brent Hawkes
Why is now the time to centralize the fight against faith based LGBTQ2S+ discrimination? In this conversation, Dr. Brent Hawkes lays out his vision for the future and the impetus for founding Rainbow Faith and Freedom.
Dr. Brent Hawkes - founder and executive director of Rainbow Faith and Freedom, was a pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for 40 years. Brent has been at the forefront of ministry to the LGBTI community. On January 14, 2001, he officiated at the first legal same sex marriage in the world. He received the Order of Canada, the Order of New Brunswick and three honorary degrees for his stand on social justice and human rights for LGBTI communities. In February 2019, Brent was appointed to the governing Board of Regents of Mount Allison University. He is the Founder of Rainbow Faith and Freedom, which is working to confront and decrease religious-based LGBTI discrimination around the world.
Register for our Faith in Crisis week here: https://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/rainbowfaithandfreedom
Learn more on our website: https://www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/
Teaser: Decolonizing Gender with Hazim Ismail
Hazim Ismail came to Canada to study psychology at the University of Winnipeg and ended up in the middle of international media storm when they were outed by tabloids in their home country – not only as gay but as an Atheist.
Hazim’s story captivated the LGBTQ2S+ community in Canada as they fought for refugee status, which was eventually granted.
We are lucky to have Hazim joining us for our #FaithInCrisis Launch Week, November 24th to 29th.
Check out this clip from an upcoming RFF podcast in which Hazim Ismail discussions misconceptions of religion and gender – and make plans to join us for #FaithInCrisis Launch Week by registering for free at http://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis/.
A Pastor in the Fight for LBGTQ2S+ Justice: Who is Dr. Brent Hawkes?
Meet Dr. Brent Hawkes - founder and executive director of Rainbow Faith and Freedom, who was a pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto for 40 years. Brent has been at the forefront of ministry to the LGBTI community. On January 14, 2001, he officiated at the first legal same sex marriage in the world. He received the Order of Canada, the Order of New Brunswick and three honorary degrees for his stand on social justice and human rights for LGBTI communities. In February 2019, Brent was appointed to the governing Board of Regents of Mount Allison University. He is the Founder of Rainbow Faith and Freedom, which is working to confront and decrease religious-based LGBTI discrimination around the world.
Register for our Faith in Crisis week here: https://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis
Like us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/rainbowfaithandfreedom
Learn more on our website: https://www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/
Teaser: What Inspired Rainbow Faith and Freedom? With Dr. Brent Hawkes
Rainbow Faith and Freedom Executive Director and founder, Rev. Dr. Brent Hawkes, talks about the origins and goals of the organization.
These goals have led to the development of our “Faith In Crisis” resource portal which will be introduced during our Launch Week program starting on November 24th.
Register now for our virtual Launch Week programming at https://rff.salsalabs.org/faithincrisis/ and learn more about us at https://www.rainbowfaithandfreedom.org/.