Queer Connections

Trans* Prisoner Day of Action and Solidarity

January 22

Transgender inmate Marius Mason created this day of action in 2016 to draw attention to recognize the experiences of transgender and other sex-and-gender-minority prisoners.

Transgender individuals who are incarcerated endure stigma, physical and sexual assault, denial of medical care, and legal repercussions. Simply because they are transgender, many transgender persons spend months or even years in solitary confinement. Typically, transgender inmates are housed in male jails, which significantly increases their risk of sexual assault.

Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week

3rd week of the month

Aromanticism is an orientation in which people’s romantic experiences (or lack thereof) are often disconnected from societal normative expectations in some or many ways. This can include:

• Experiencing little or no romantic attraction
• Feeling unattracted to romance
• Being disinterested in romantic relationships

International Trans* Day of Visibility

March 31

Every March 31, Trans* Day of Visibility celebrates transgender people and acknowledges the struggles and discrimination that the trans* community might face. Student Services can offer a space for discussion, support, and a sense of community. To learn more about services and resources, refer to the Gender and Sexual Diversity Office at tru.ca/current.

• Take Action: Attend events in support of trans* individuals, challenge forms of anti-trans* violence, use your voice and exercise allyship.
• Engage in Learning: Learn about trans* identities and experiences and how you can contribute to creating safe(r) and more inclusive spaces.
• Raise Awareness: Spread awareness about trans* issues and experiences, amplify support for the trans* community and exercise your role as an ally!

International Asexuality Day

April 6

An "ace" (a shortened term for asexual) is someone who experiences limited to no sexual attraction or desire, and, like queerness, it covers a broad spectrum. Asexual people form deep bonds and experience other forms of attraction:

• Romantic
• Aesthetic
• Sensual or physical
• Platonic
• Emotional

Other dimensions of ace identities, such as demisexual and grey-asexual, also fall under this umbrella. Show your support by holding space for ace people and demonstrating your allyship.

Lesbian Visibility Day

April 26

First celebrated in 1990, Lesbian Visibility Day recognizes the contributions lesbian people make to society and raises awareness about the issues they have and continue to face. This day intentionally includes nonbinary and transgender* people and any other individuals who identify as lesbian.

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, & Biphobia

May 17

IDAHOBIT aims to coordinate efforts on an international level to raise awareness about 2SLGBTQPIA+ rights violations and ignite interest surrounding these important issues on a global scale.

Pansexual Visibility Day

May 24

Many pansexual or panromantic persons can identify as being "gender blind," as sexual attraction is not restricted to biological sex, gender, or gender identity. Pansexuality encourages us to re-think how we define gender, sexuality, and romance; advocacy and allyship allow folks to explore their own identities within these relationships.

How to Get Involved

• Engage in Community
• Educate Others
• Be curious, respectful and receptive
• Amplify Pansexual Voices (but try not to center yourself by speaking on someone's behalf)

Pride Month

June is Pride Month because the first Pride Parade—then called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March—was held one year after the 1969 Stonewall Riots, which started on June 28. The protests between patrons at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher Street, and police, who had come in to raid the establishment, lasted into the night and re-ignited the next night and in the days to follow. Activist groups formally organized over the weeks and months leading to that first anniversary.

International Non-Binary People’s Day

July 14

This date celebrates the diversity of the non-binary community, increases visibility, promotes awareness, and dismantles social perceptions of gender identity. Amid the celebration, it's also an opportunity to reflect on the history, progress, and importance of advocacy and allyship moving forward. Non-binary folks may identify as being both a man and a woman or as falling completely outside these categories as someone who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman. While many non-binary people also identify as transgender, not all do.

Kamloops Pride Week

See Kamloops Pride for dates

Offering a mix of comedy shows, dances, discussions, and awareness-raising initiatives - finishing with a big parade and the family-friendly party in Riverside Park - Kamloops Pride provides options for everyone over Pride Week.

TRUSU Pride Parade

Contact the Equity Coordinator for more details about the parade

Each September, students, staff, and faculty gather to celebrate gender and sexual diversity at the TRUSU Pride Parade, an event where we claim our campus a safe place to live, work, and study, regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity. TRUSU recognizes that folks identifying with the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community often face feelings of unacceptance that hinder them from being unapologetically themselves. Having a dedicated day to celebrate pride at TRU is incredibly important for addressing how our environment plays a role in making folks feel genuinely welcomed. All are welcome to participate in the parade and are encouraged to bring a friend to support an inclusive campus environment for the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community. For more information about the parade please contact TRUSU’s Equity Coordinator.

Bisexuality Day

September 23

International Bisexual Awareness Week is celebrated every year from September 16 - 23 in recognition of bisexual identity, honouring bisexual achievements, and raising awareness of bisexual issues.

It started as Celebrate Bisexuality Day (CBD) in 1999 when American bisexual activists Wendy Curry, Michael Page, and Gigi Raven Wilbur conjured the idea at the International Lesbian and Gay Association Conference in Johannesburg. Wishing there was one day to celebrate other bisexuals without fighting for visibility, Wilbur suggested that they host a party, which they did that September.

They chose September to commemorate the birthday month of bisexual icon and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, with the 23rd chosen as it was Wilbur's date of birth.

From that year forward, Celebrate Bisexuality Day has been observed internationally to celebrate the bisexual community and decrease biphobia. Celebrations were extended to one week in 2014.

LGBT History Month

An annual observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, including its origins and ongoing advocacy efforts. Founded in 1994 by Missouri high school history teacher Rodney Wilson, this month's event is intended to provide role models, build community, and make a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. It is celebrated in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on October 11 and commemorate the two LGBT rights marches in Washington in 1979 and 1987.

National Coming Out Day

October 11

This day is a celebration of individuals within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community who openly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, queer, asexual, intersex or exist anywhere on the queer spectrum. It also honours the complexities of coming out to friends and family - and recognizes that you don’t just have to come out once in a hetero-normative world; you have to do it many times.

Coming Out Day was first celebrated in 1988 on the anniversary of the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, which took place in Washington, D.C., on October 11, 1987.

How can you support someone who is thinking about or is actively coming out?

• Remind yourself that coming out is an ongoing process that can involve many emotions, processing, and evolution.
• Coming out and sharing this dimension of oneself requires courage and vulnerability. Don’t be afraid to name this strength; focus on embracing the person’s identity rather than simply accepting it.
• Remember that not everyone might be as accepting and positive as you are.
• Don’t pressure anyone to begin or continue the process of coming out. Everyone moves at their own pace, and there is no “right” or “wrong” way to come out.

International Lesbian Day

October 8

International Lesbian Day is a day to celebrate lesbians and their culture, history, and diversity. Lesbians and allies celebrate this day with various community events, dances, and conferences, and it is mainly celebrated in New Zealand and Australia.

International Pronouns Day

3rd Wednesday in October

Referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is essential to human dignity; using the wrong pronouns or deadnaming someone particularly impacts transgender and gender-nonconforming people. International Pronouns Day began in 2018 and occurs each year on the 3rd Wednesday of October. This awareness-raising initiative seeks to educate, inform, inspire and transform society to honour people’s multiple, intersecting identities.

Spirit Day (Anti-Bullying)

3rd Thursday in October

Started in 2010 by Brittany McMillan, a Canadian teen who was deeply impacted by recent, highly-publicized bullying-related suicides. Observers wear the colour purple as a visible sign of support for LGBTQ youth, in honour of those who died by suicide and as a call to action against abuse, harassment and homophobia.

Asexual Awareness Week

3rd week of October

Ace Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness, build community, and create change around the world. Make a difference with us from October 22 – 28

Intersex Awareness Day

October 26

“Intersex” is an umbrella term for people who are born with one or more traits in their chromosomes, genitals, hormones, or internal reproductive organs that don’t fit the typical male or female patterns. Some traits might not match the sex they were assigned at birth or may combine traditionally understood male and female traits. The first Intersex Awareness Day public demonstration by intersex people took place on October 26, 1996, in Boston, Massachusetts, outside a conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Trans* Parent Day

1st Sunday in November

The first Sunday in November is Trans* Parent Day. This awareness day was established in 2009 to honour and celebrate transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming parents and parents of transgender children. The day typically involves small celebrations and gift-giving in the same spirit as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Trans* Day of Remembrance

November 20

Following Trans* Awareness Week - 2nd week in November - International Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) takes place on Nov. 20. This day brings public awareness to the dangers of transphobia and the violent hate crimes experienced by transgender, gender non-conforming, non-binary and Two-Spirit people.

Join TRUSU Pride and Kamloops Pride on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. for the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil at the Kamloops United Church on 421 St. Paul Street.

TRU is honouring TDOR by displaying the trans* flag at half-mast on campus; please take a moment to reflect on creating inclusive, safe(r) spaces at TRU and in the community. To learn more about services and resources, refer to the Gender and Sexual Diversity page at tru.ca/current.

Pansexual Pride Day

December 8

Every December 8, National Pansexual Pride Day celebrates the efforts made by the pansexual and panromantic community to gain acceptance and understanding. Many pansexual or panromantic persons feel sexual attraction as not defined or assigned to a particular biological sex, gender, or gender identity.