Hamilton, ON, June 10, 2022
The Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre (HARRC) recognizes the importance of celebrating sexual and gender diversity in Hamilton during 2SLGBTQ+ Pride Month.
HARRC Board Member Dr. Amber Dean says “the goal of ending racism and the goal of ending discrimination and hatred against 2SLGBTQ+ communities are connected. Many Indigenous people, Black people, and People of Colour who are 2SLBGTQ+ experience racism not just from the wider Hamilton community but within our queer and trans communities as well, which are too often assumed to be white by default. It is necessary to challenge racism within 2SLGBTQ+ communities, and to celebrate and amplify the many contributions of BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ community members."
“At HARRC, we see the connections between ending racism and colonialism and ending homophobia and transphobia,” says Lyndon George, Executive Director of Hamilton’s Anti-Racism Resource Centre. “It is important for BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ Hamiltonians to know that HARRC is here to support you.” Studies show that many BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ community members struggle to feel a sense of belonging in both BIPOC and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
In an effort to address the lack of inclusion of BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ community members, HARRC Board Member and McMaster professor Dr. Amber Dean and Cole Gately, founding Chair of Hamilton’s Trans Health Coalition and Community Steward of the Hamilton 2SLGBTQ+ Community Archives, organized two virtual roundtables last October to raise awareness about racism in 2SLGBTQ+ histories and share the stories and experiences of BIPOC 2SLGBTQ+ Hamiltonians. Recordings of these roundtables can be viewed online here.
In recent years, 2SLGBTQ+ community members in Hamilton have called on Hamilton Police Services to be accountable for its inadequate intervention in hate-driven violence at Hamilton Pride in 2019. HARRC calls on HPS to continue implementing all of the recommendations arising from the subsequent investigation and external report.
HARRC stands in solidarity with Hamilton’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities during PRIDE month and throughout the year, and we wish everyone a happy and safe PRIDE celebration!
Media contact
Lyndon George
Email: Lyndon@harrc.ca
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