Tuesday 21 June 2011
Halifax post follows the one below
Still a blogging newbie so I don't know how to re-order the pages!
Charlottetown yesterday - interview online
Charlottetown Morning host Matt Rainey - at work
Irene Larkin -- Islander extraordinaire!
She hosted me, put me up, drove me, fed me...
and she made me laugh!
Thanks Irene.
Another city, another CBC interview?
Thankfully the Charlottetown station didn't close
a few years ago. It is a vital Island resource.
Martime tour ends on high note in Halifax
I could get used to Maritime hospitality! Five city tour is now over -- ending in Halifax tonight on an incredibly interesting note.
The meeting attracted 16 people at ISIS -- the Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services. (Check them out at: http://www.isisns.ca/ ). It is the largest orgnaization in Halifax doing work in this area (100+ staff). There were a number of folks from the LGBT community and several from ISIS. This was the first time we have had such a mix of concerned community with ground level agency settlement people. It allowed for a great discussion and exploration of the issues.
The LGBT community folks had great ideas and questions about what is involved in refugee issues and sponsorship. Similarly, the ISIS folks who were there are very interested in LGBT issues and challenges for refugees in terms of settlement and integration. We have an incredible opportunity for agencies and the queer community to join together and learn from eachother.
I must mention Evelyn Jones at ISIS who organized the meeting space, bought the goodies, and provided plenty of handout material on private sponsorships and Group of 5. I learned a great deal tonight -- and also solidified my hope and belief that the potential for amazing collaborations exists. No question.
This ends the Maritime portion of the tour.
Next stops -- as we approach the end of the national tour are St. John's, London, Toronto and Ottawa. Stay tuned. Those will come in mid- to late-July.
Returning to Montreal and then home tomorrow and Thursday. Will be offline for a little while recharging batteries and enjoying the Ottawa Jazz Festival.
The meeting attracted 16 people at ISIS -- the Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services. (Check them out at: http://www.isisns.ca/ ). It is the largest orgnaization in Halifax doing work in this area (100+ staff). There were a number of folks from the LGBT community and several from ISIS. This was the first time we have had such a mix of concerned community with ground level agency settlement people. It allowed for a great discussion and exploration of the issues.
The LGBT community folks had great ideas and questions about what is involved in refugee issues and sponsorship. Similarly, the ISIS folks who were there are very interested in LGBT issues and challenges for refugees in terms of settlement and integration. We have an incredible opportunity for agencies and the queer community to join together and learn from eachother.
I must mention Evelyn Jones at ISIS who organized the meeting space, bought the goodies, and provided plenty of handout material on private sponsorships and Group of 5. I learned a great deal tonight -- and also solidified my hope and belief that the potential for amazing collaborations exists. No question.
This ends the Maritime portion of the tour.
Next stops -- as we approach the end of the national tour are St. John's, London, Toronto and Ottawa. Stay tuned. Those will come in mid- to late-July.
Returning to Montreal and then home tomorrow and Thursday. Will be offline for a little while recharging batteries and enjoying the Ottawa Jazz Festival.
Finally! After 17 cities I have learned to use the
timer setting on my camera -- thanks to the
nice guy standing on the right!
Pretty good group eh?
Monday 20 June 2011
Do you want to do something important on World Refugee Day (or after!)?
The Canadian Council for Refugees is a remarkable organization that works on a shoe-string but produces some of the most important work on refugee law and policy in Canada.
I fully endorse their concerns about what is called "the Nairobi problem". (Note: it is a Canadian problem). If you want to do something that could help make a difference, please read on.
Refugees in Africa seeking family reunification or resettlement in Canada wait years for their applications to be processed by Canadian immigration officials. Canada’s processing of refugees is particularly slow in Nairobi. These delays mean that refugees are denied protection, and children wait in vulnerable situations to be reunited with their parents in Canada. The longer the wait, the greater the risk to the security, the health and the lives of refugees.
The CCR has prepared a Statement on Responding to African refugees that is open for sign on by other organizations. The statement is available at: http://ccrweb.ca/en/
If your organization would like to sign on to this statement, please send an email to nairobi@ccrweb.ca.
Statement on responding to African refugees
Sadly Canada’s processing of refugees is too slow in many parts of the world, but it is slowest of all in Africa.
Processing is particularly slow in the countries of East and Central Africa covered by Canada’s visa office in Nairobi.
The long delays at Nairobi leave vulnerable refugees in dangerous situations for longer than anywhere else in the world.
We call on the Canadian government to do more to respond to African refugees, who are currently being neglected by Canada’s immigration program.
We call on the Canadian government to ensure fair treatment for African refugees and their families by:
1. Resettling more refugees, both privately sponsored and government assisted, and significantly speeding up their processing at the Nairobi visa office.
Take Action!
For background information to encourage organizations to sign the statement, see:
All organizations are encouraged to do anything else they can to draw broad public attention to the unjust delays at visa offices abroad, particularly Nairobi.
Thank you for considering taking action in support of refugees in the world.
I fully endorse their concerns about what is called "the Nairobi problem". (Note: it is a Canadian problem). If you want to do something that could help make a difference, please read on.
Refugees in Africa seeking family reunification or resettlement in Canada wait years for their applications to be processed by Canadian immigration officials. Canada’s processing of refugees is particularly slow in Nairobi. These delays mean that refugees are denied protection, and children wait in vulnerable situations to be reunited with their parents in Canada. The longer the wait, the greater the risk to the security, the health and the lives of refugees.
The CCR has prepared a Statement on Responding to African refugees that is open for sign on by other organizations. The statement is available at: http://ccrweb.ca/en/
If your organization would like to sign on to this statement, please send an email to nairobi@ccrweb.ca.
Statement on responding to African refugees
Sadly Canada’s processing of refugees is too slow in many parts of the world, but it is slowest of all in Africa.
Processing is particularly slow in the countries of East and Central Africa covered by Canada’s visa office in Nairobi.
The long delays at Nairobi leave vulnerable refugees in dangerous situations for longer than anywhere else in the world.
We call on the Canadian government to do more to respond to African refugees, who are currently being neglected by Canada’s immigration program.
We call on the Canadian government to ensure fair treatment for African refugees and their families by:
1. Resettling more refugees, both privately sponsored and government assisted, and significantly speeding up their processing at the Nairobi visa office.
2. Significantly speeding up refugee family reunification at the Nairobi visa office.
For background information to encourage organizations to sign the statement, see:
- Statement with backgrounder
- http://ccrweb.ca/en/nairobi
- Report, Nairobi: Protection delayed, protection denied (available on above webpage)
- Pamphlet, Refugees from Africa: Are we being fair? (available on above webpage)
- Writing letters to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and to local MPs
- Publicizing the statement (for example, posting it on their website, publishing it in their newsletter, making a press release)
All organizations are encouraged to do anything else they can to draw broad public attention to the unjust delays at visa offices abroad, particularly Nairobi.
Thank you for considering taking action in support of refugees in the world.
Charlottetown tonight!
It is World Refugee Day!
Hope to see lots of Islanders at the meeting tonight. Did a great interview with Matt Rainey on the CBC Morning show today.
Hope to see lots of Islanders at the meeting tonight. Did a great interview with Matt Rainey on the CBC Morning show today.
Tonight!
Thursday 16 June 2011
Thursday - Fredericton - New Brunswick is 3 for 3!
I had to remind myself in the title of the day of the week and the city...because I did it again tonight and called the wonderful city of Fredericton by the name of the other wonderful city of Saint John!
But that did not in anyway dissuade the great group who came on Thursday night for engaging in a really nice way. We had a lot of questions after my presentation. Lots of practical questions about the refugee process, how can the LGBT community help, what are the issues facing refugees with children, what about previously married LGBT people?
I am trying to capture as many of the questions in the "Journal" that I ask people to write in during the meetings. And in the coming weeks and months I am going to be finding out more detailed and substantive answers and posting them here on the blog. (I had hoped to be able to do that now, but realistically, the basic logistics of getting into a city, meeting people, and posting blog information is totally consuming.) So -- keep watching the blog into the future. It will continue to grow and expand with the network I am tapping into.
Thanks again to Rob Frenette at Bullying Canada (http://www.bullyingcanada.ca/ ) who organized the meeting tonight and got an amazing donation from the Crowne Plaza (again!) for the meeting room. (I think that I am very close to declaring Crowne Plaza an honourary North Star Triangle patron based on the New Brunswick generosity!).
Also many thanks to Francis here in Fredericton. He single-handedly got the wheels in motion that saw the North Star Triangle Project have 3 amazing meetings on three successive nights in New Brunswick.
One of my goals on this tour was to visit places in Canada I have never had the opportunity to visit yet in my life. I must say that New Brunswick not only exceeded my expectations, I am surprised that more Canadians haven't discovered its beauty and history. Go New Brunswick tourism go!
So, some pictures.....
But that did not in anyway dissuade the great group who came on Thursday night for engaging in a really nice way. We had a lot of questions after my presentation. Lots of practical questions about the refugee process, how can the LGBT community help, what are the issues facing refugees with children, what about previously married LGBT people?
I am trying to capture as many of the questions in the "Journal" that I ask people to write in during the meetings. And in the coming weeks and months I am going to be finding out more detailed and substantive answers and posting them here on the blog. (I had hoped to be able to do that now, but realistically, the basic logistics of getting into a city, meeting people, and posting blog information is totally consuming.) So -- keep watching the blog into the future. It will continue to grow and expand with the network I am tapping into.
Thanks again to Rob Frenette at Bullying Canada (http://www.bullyingcanada.ca/ ) who organized the meeting tonight and got an amazing donation from the Crowne Plaza (again!) for the meeting room. (I think that I am very close to declaring Crowne Plaza an honourary North Star Triangle patron based on the New Brunswick generosity!).
Also many thanks to Francis here in Fredericton. He single-handedly got the wheels in motion that saw the North Star Triangle Project have 3 amazing meetings on three successive nights in New Brunswick.
One of my goals on this tour was to visit places in Canada I have never had the opportunity to visit yet in my life. I must say that New Brunswick not only exceeded my expectations, I am surprised that more Canadians haven't discovered its beauty and history. Go New Brunswick tourism go!
So, some pictures.....
Great group of people came out for Fredericton!
The Fredericton group shot -- I love this part of the meeting!
Presenting the North Star Triangle Project
Another nice circle of discussion:
people care about refugees you know.
Crowne Plaza -- official NSTP helper.
Loved being in this grand old hotel. Amazing staircase!
I noticed not one or two but many many cats in Fredericton
just out and about.
This is special -- because he looks just like my Malcolm (for Michael)
Another day -- another bus ride!
I love Canadian towns with great names...and
Oromocto reminds me a little of Vulcan, Alberta
For those keeping track of my bus stations...
this is Saint John.
I will blog more about one of the other principles
of the NSTP -- doing a national tour as inexpensively
as possible. Obviously staying at hostels helps.
This is Fredericton -- and although minimalist it is
very comfortable (yes!) and welcoming.
The hostel used to be a monastery....
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Saint John - made up of saints?
It is hard to describe arriving in a strange city, being met by a stranger, and being welcomed by that city and those strangers like royalty.
But that is the way of Saint John and the group of five gay men (not one of those group of 5s...yet!) who welcomed me.
I can't say how touched I am to be hosted by Jim and Carl the owners of Mahogany Manor Bed & Breakfast.
They hosted the meeting in their splendid living room which was a reminder of the Vancouver meeting we held at Barclay Manor. Wing backed chairs and a fireplace!
We talked well past 10 pm and just kept going. Thanks to Mack, Fred and Bobby who also came out to hear more and be part of the NSTP.
But that is the way of Saint John and the group of five gay men (not one of those group of 5s...yet!) who welcomed me.
I can't say how touched I am to be hosted by Jim and Carl the owners of Mahogany Manor Bed & Breakfast.
They hosted the meeting in their splendid living room which was a reminder of the Vancouver meeting we held at Barclay Manor. Wing backed chairs and a fireplace!
We talked well past 10 pm and just kept going. Thanks to Mack, Fred and Bobby who also came out to hear more and be part of the NSTP.
Moncton's unofficial group of five!
We couldn't figure out the timer for the camera...
I accidentally got confused....and called Saint John
Moncton.....but the sign didn't help clear that up
Stay at the Mahogany Inn....my bed....where
Kate Clinton and Mark Tewksbury slept (separately)
A stop on the bus from Moncton to Saint John
For those keeping track of Canadian bus depots....
this is Moncton's!
Being questioned in Moncton.....by CBC
I was interviewed by local CBC Morning Host Dave MacDonald this morning at the Moncton CBC studio. (Thankfully -- this is one of the CBC stations that previously faced closure but continues to play a vital role in the area).
It was a good interview with plenty of questions about the reality of it all -- but not in a way that was prurient or exotic. I appreciated the interest but also the challenge of saying why it is important for use to care about refugees in this world.
I pushed my luck and asked for photos...and the results are obvious.
CBC Reporter Vanessa Blanch is also doing a news story today on the NSTP and local participation.
It was a good interview with plenty of questions about the reality of it all -- but not in a way that was prurient or exotic. I appreciated the interest but also the challenge of saying why it is important for use to care about refugees in this world.
I pushed my luck and asked for photos...and the results are obvious.
CBC Reporter Vanessa Blanch is also doing a news story today on the NSTP and local participation.
The Host - Dave MacDonald
CBC Moncton's Information Morning
After the interview -- I am not sure why we are not smiling
It was a good interview!
Moncton pride -- literally
My first visit to Moncton will not be forgotten. I was welcomed at the bus station personally by Paul LeBlanc who leads the Pride committee here. He was a warm and welcoming host and ambassador for every GLBT person in Moncton!
We had an amazing meeting. Special call out to the 11 Monctonians who came and engaged with me for almost 2 hours. A great intereaction which gave me much to think about.
I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the first "corporate" sponsor of the NSTP -- the Crowne Plaza Moncton. Not only did they provide us with a complimentary room through the Pride Committee, they also provided me with accommodation for the night. (You can imagine the comfort here compared to the bed I slept in last night.....picture below!)
Thanks again Moncton. My only regret is that I forgot (silly me) to ask everyone for a group shot. So you will have to piece it together with the great photos taken by a generous volunteer!
We had an amazing meeting. Special call out to the 11 Monctonians who came and engaged with me for almost 2 hours. A great intereaction which gave me much to think about.
I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the first "corporate" sponsor of the NSTP -- the Crowne Plaza Moncton. Not only did they provide us with a complimentary room through the Pride Committee, they also provided me with accommodation for the night. (You can imagine the comfort here compared to the bed I slept in last night.....picture below!)
Thanks again Moncton. My only regret is that I forgot (silly me) to ask everyone for a group shot. So you will have to piece it together with the great photos taken by a generous volunteer!
A great group in a great space at Crowne Plaza
We even had a view of the city!
Doubly symbolic -- my bus to Moncton with
VIA Rail in background. I came to Halifax
on "The Ocean" - a VIA train from Montreal
This picture is more about Paul LeBlanc, my wonderful
host as opposed to another photo of me talking with
my hands.
My hostel bed in Halifax.
Tonight it is a bed courtesy of the Crown Plaza Moncton.
(thanks for supporting the GLBT community Crowne Plaza)
Monday 13 June 2011
Halifax meeting set! Please spread the information
Please share the information with Nova Scotia friends.
Saturday 11 June 2011
J'aime Montreal!
I think the picture will be worth a thousand words regarding tonight's Montreal meeting.
Awesome. What an amazing and diverse group that came out to participate at 6pm on a Friday night in Montreal.
C'etait un bon succes! (sorry -- not accents disponible right now).
Further blog updates coming on Montreal, Winnipeg Pride, the Hamilton CCR Conference, and Vancouver (with a little Warsaw too!).
Thanks Equipe Montreal! (Ed, Gregg and Tuan. And Yannick for assisting with translation and Bisher for taking the photos.)
Awesome. What an amazing and diverse group that came out to participate at 6pm on a Friday night in Montreal.
C'etait un bon succes! (sorry -- not accents disponible right now).
Further blog updates coming on Montreal, Winnipeg Pride, the Hamilton CCR Conference, and Vancouver (with a little Warsaw too!).
Thanks Equipe Montreal! (Ed, Gregg and Tuan. And Yannick for assisting with translation and Bisher for taking the photos.)
Merci Montreal!
They sure know how to show up on a Friday at 6pm!
Friday 10 June 2011
Montreal ce soir!
Voulez-vous en apprendre davantage sur la question des réfugié(e)s lesbiennes, gais, bisexuel(le)s et trans (LGBT) et comment pouvez-vous les aider?
Venez à une réunion pour entendre David Pepper (un militant gai d’Ottawa) parler de ces questions. Il est en tournée pendant cinq mois dans 21 villes à travers le Canada. Il voudrait contribuer à sensibiliser le public aux problèmes des réfugié(e)s LGBT et à promouvoir l’approche des commandites du « Groupe des cinq<http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/refugies/parrainer/groupes.asp> ».
Il vous fera partager des informations sur ce que les communautés LGBT ici peuvent faire pour les réfugié(e)s LGBT à travers le monde.
Vendredi le 10 juin
18h à 20h
Centre Saint-Pierre, 1212 rue Panet (entre Ste-Catherine et René-Lévesque) Salle 202
Si vous ne pouvez pas venir à la réunion, mais vous vous intéressez à ce sujet, s’il vous plaît contacter David au northstartriangle@gmail.com<mailto:northstartriangle@gmail.com> ou Twitter : @northstartri
Autres sites pertinents : http://www.rainbowrefugee.ca et http://www.agir-qc.info
Pour plus d’informations locales, communiquez avec Gregg Blachford à gregg.blachford@videotron.ca<mailto:gregg.blachford@videotron.ca> ou Ed Lee à ewjlee@yahoo.ca<mailto:ewjlee@yahoo.ca>.
Do you want to learn about the issue of LGBTQ refugees and how you might be able to help?
Come to a meeting to hear David Pepper (a longtime gay activist from Ottawa) speak about these issues. He is on a five month 21 city tour across Canada helping to raise awareness about LGBTQ refugees and promoting the idea of “Group of Five”
sponsorships<http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/sponsor/groups.asp>. He will share information about what the LGBTQ community here can do for queer refugees worldwide.
Friday, June 10th
6 – 8 p.m.
Centre St. Pierre – 1212 run Panet (between Ste-Catherine and René-Lévesque) Room 202
If you cannot make the meeting and are interested in this topic, please contact David at northstartriangle@gmail.com<mailto:northstartriangle@gmail.com>. Twitter: @northstartri . Other relevant sites: http://www.rainbowrefugee.ca and http://www.agir-qc.info
For local information, contact Gregg Blachford at: gregg.blachford@videotron.ca<mailto:gregg.blachford@videotron.ca>> or Ed Lee at ewjlee@yahoo.ca<mailto:ewjlee@yahoo.ca>.
Venez à une réunion pour entendre David Pepper (un militant gai d’Ottawa) parler de ces questions. Il est en tournée pendant cinq mois dans 21 villes à travers le Canada. Il voudrait contribuer à sensibiliser le public aux problèmes des réfugié(e)s LGBT et à promouvoir l’approche des commandites du « Groupe des cinq<http://www.cic.gc.ca/francais/refugies/parrainer/groupes.asp> ».
Il vous fera partager des informations sur ce que les communautés LGBT ici peuvent faire pour les réfugié(e)s LGBT à travers le monde.
Vendredi le 10 juin
18h à 20h
Centre Saint-Pierre, 1212 rue Panet (entre Ste-Catherine et René-Lévesque) Salle 202
Si vous ne pouvez pas venir à la réunion, mais vous vous intéressez à ce sujet, s’il vous plaît contacter David au northstartriangle@gmail.com<mailto:northstartriangle@gmail.com> ou Twitter : @northstartri
Autres sites pertinents : http://www.rainbowrefugee.ca et http://www.agir-qc.info
Pour plus d’informations locales, communiquez avec Gregg Blachford à gregg.blachford@videotron.ca<mailto:gregg.blachford@videotron.ca> ou Ed Lee à ewjlee@yahoo.ca<mailto:ewjlee@yahoo.ca>.
Do you want to learn about the issue of LGBTQ refugees and how you might be able to help?
Come to a meeting to hear David Pepper (a longtime gay activist from Ottawa) speak about these issues. He is on a five month 21 city tour across Canada helping to raise awareness about LGBTQ refugees and promoting the idea of “Group of Five”
sponsorships<http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/sponsor/groups.asp>. He will share information about what the LGBTQ community here can do for queer refugees worldwide.
Friday, June 10th
6 – 8 p.m.
Centre St. Pierre – 1212 run Panet (between Ste-Catherine and René-Lévesque) Room 202
If you cannot make the meeting and are interested in this topic, please contact David at northstartriangle@gmail.com<mailto:northstartriangle@gmail.com>. Twitter: @northstartri . Other relevant sites: http://www.rainbowrefugee.ca and http://www.agir-qc.info
For local information, contact Gregg Blachford at: gregg.blachford@videotron.ca<mailto:gregg.blachford@videotron.ca>> or Ed Lee at ewjlee@yahoo.ca<mailto:ewjlee@yahoo.ca>.
Thursday 2 June 2011
Winnipeg -- here I come!
The Pride of the Prairies
Pride 2011 promises to be one of the biggest celebrations of Winnipeg’s LGBTQ community yet
David Pepper, founder of the North Star Triangle Project, will speak at Pride Winnipeg’s 2011 rally. (JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES)
Martha Wash (JOSH DE HON)
On Sunday, June 5, thousands of Winnipeggers will come together in solidarity with the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community for Pride Day — the cumulation of a 10-day celebration which kicked off this year on May 27.
Featuring an 11:30 a.m. rally at the Manitoba Legislature, a parade down Broadway at noon, and a free, outdoor festival at The Forks that runs until 6:30 p.m. and features music, a children’s play area and a business/art fair, Pride Day is open to all and promises something for everyone.
It also promises to be big.
Last year saw several changes made to the annual event, now in its 24th year. Among them, the festival was moved from Memorial Park to The Forks — a site with better amenities and more space to accommodate the huge crowds now taking part in the "Pride of the Prairies."
Organizers estimate approximately 15,000 people participated in 2010’s Pride Day events; cumulative attendance for the 10-day festival was pegged at about 30,000.
"It seems that we’re growing very quickly," says Scott Carman, director of media and communications for Pride Winnipeg, who credits an increased acceptance of Winnipeg’s LGBTQ community and a lot of hard work.
"I think we’re doing a better job of getting the word out and marketing what’s happening during Pride Week," he says.
Of course, last year’s hot, sunny weather didn’t hurt, either.
"We got really lucky," Carman admits. "It rained most of the week leading up to Pride and we ended up having the most beautiful day imaginable.
"All the feedback from the people who attended was very positive — everything from having the permanent stage, the covered stage, to having the beer tent for the first time," he continues, chuckling. "One of the lessons we learned was that we needed a bigger beer tent."
Indeed. Not only was the inaugural beer tent a hit, it also inspired an ingenious fundraising idea. Partnering with Winnipeg-based Half Pints Brewing Company, Pride Winnipeg has created and patented Queer Beer, an original recipe cheekily described as "a little bit fruity and 100% fabulous." Proceeds from the sale of the speciality beer — which is also available at local LGBTQ bars and two MLCC stores — will provide an ongoing source of revenue for Pride Winnipeg.
Musical performances at The Forks begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include sets by local pop rock trio Sons of York and Alberta’s Rae Spoon, a transgender experimental alt-folk artist. This year’s headliner is Martha Wash, who’s perhaps best known for the 1982 hit It’s Raining Men, which she recorded with The Weather Girls (although you may also recognize her voice from Black Box’s Strike It Up and C+C Music Factory’s Gonna Make You Sweat/Everybody Dance Now). Wash performs at 4:30 p.m..
Pride is more than just a party, however, a fact acknowledged by Pride Winnipeg’s 2011 theme: unity.
Carman says a 2010 screening of the documentary, Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride, got local organizers thinking about Pride festivals elsewhere "and the fact that, in some parts of the world, it’s actually still illegal to be gay or to engage in homosexual acts, and some people actually lose their lives over it." (Underlining that reality, the 2011 Pride Guide includes a map showing the status of LGBTQ rights in countries around the world.)
Organizers also wanted to acknowledge last year’s string of suicides by American teens tormented by homophobic bullying and the murder of Ugandan gay activist David Kato this past January, just months after being outed by a newspaper in that country in an article headlined "Hang them."
"There’s a lot of real-world events happening that made us think, you know, it’s time that we take a stand and stand united with our brothers and sisters around the world," Carman says.
That goal is one that’s shared by Ottawa’s David Pepper, who will be speaking at this year’s rally.
Born in Fargo, raised in Brandon, Man., Pepper, 48, is a long-time gay-rights activist with an interest in international issues who’s using a 10-month sabbatical from his job with the Ottawa Police Service to travel across Canada on a self-funded tour to raise awareness about the plight of LGBTQ refugees and provide information on how citizens can privately sponsor someone who is being persecuted because of his or her sexuality; something he and a group of friends are currently doing.
"The experience of refugees in our world is, I think, the No. 1 humanitarian challenge of our times. Maybe on par with slavery," Pepper says, over the phone from Toronto.
Since launching the North Star Triangle Project in Winnipeg in April, Pepper has visited 11 cities, with another 12 left to go.
"As gays and lesbians and bisexual and trans people, we understand struggle — at the personal level, at the social level, at the family level, at the political level," Pepper says.
"We also, as human beings, need to recognize that that struggle is not one that we are alone in."
For more information about Pride 2011, go to www.pridewinnipeg.com.
• • •
Winnipeg Pride - A Genuine Honour
I am honoured to be heading to Winnipeg tomorrow to participate in this year's celebrations.
Here are 2 articles that have appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press:
Looking beyond our borders
WHEN David Pepper comes home to Manitoba for Pride Day, his mission is to make the LGBTTQ community aware that people in many countries are being persecuted -- and even killed -- for their sexual orientation.
The Ottawa activist, who grew up in Brandon, is on an extensive national tour to encourage Canadians to form groups of five and privately sponsor persecuted gay and lesbian refugees to settle here.
His initiative is called the North Star Triangle Project, a name that honours American slaves' freedom journey to Canada, and the triangle as a gay symbol. He has been to 11 cities since he launched his odyssey in Winnipeg in April.
"I subscribe to the notion that an injustice to one is an injustice to all," says Pepper, 48, by phone from Vancouver.
On June 5, Pepper will lead this year's Winnipeg Pride parade as its marshal and speak at the pre-parade rally at the Legislative Grounds.
The "Winnipeg Group of Five," local gay men who are sharing the cost (about $14,000) and responsibility of sponsoring a young gay man from Iran who is currently in Turkey, were invited to lead the parade with Pepper. But most of them prefer to stay out of the limelight, so one member, Doug Holroyd, will represent them.
The Winnipeg Five have discovered that the immigration bureaucracy is painfully backlogged and slow. It could be two years before the man they want to help can travel here. Pepper confirms that the process is fraught with delays.
Nonetheless, he wants to inspire LGBTTQ Canadians to open their eyes and hearts.
"It really is important that we look beyond our national borders to remember that the Pride parade that's happening in Winnipeg, when it happens in some countries, the violence is extraordinary....
"As gay and lesbian people, injustices, intolerance and state-sanctioned murder of gays and lesbians anywhere in the world is an affront to our own dignity and human rights."
Here are 2 articles that have appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press:
Looking beyond our borders
WHEN David Pepper comes home to Manitoba for Pride Day, his mission is to make the LGBTTQ community aware that people in many countries are being persecuted -- and even killed -- for their sexual orientation.
The Ottawa activist, who grew up in Brandon, is on an extensive national tour to encourage Canadians to form groups of five and privately sponsor persecuted gay and lesbian refugees to settle here.
His initiative is called the North Star Triangle Project, a name that honours American slaves' freedom journey to Canada, and the triangle as a gay symbol. He has been to 11 cities since he launched his odyssey in Winnipeg in April.
"I subscribe to the notion that an injustice to one is an injustice to all," says Pepper, 48, by phone from Vancouver.
On June 5, Pepper will lead this year's Winnipeg Pride parade as its marshal and speak at the pre-parade rally at the Legislative Grounds.
The "Winnipeg Group of Five," local gay men who are sharing the cost (about $14,000) and responsibility of sponsoring a young gay man from Iran who is currently in Turkey, were invited to lead the parade with Pepper. But most of them prefer to stay out of the limelight, so one member, Doug Holroyd, will represent them.
The Winnipeg Five have discovered that the immigration bureaucracy is painfully backlogged and slow. It could be two years before the man they want to help can travel here. Pepper confirms that the process is fraught with delays.
Nonetheless, he wants to inspire LGBTTQ Canadians to open their eyes and hearts.
"It really is important that we look beyond our national borders to remember that the Pride parade that's happening in Winnipeg, when it happens in some countries, the violence is extraordinary....
"As gay and lesbian people, injustices, intolerance and state-sanctioned murder of gays and lesbians anywhere in the world is an affront to our own dignity and human rights."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 26, 2011 E10
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Pepper to lead Gay Pride Parade
WINNIPEG — Manitoba-born gay rights activist David Pepper and members of a local group which is sponsoring a refugee’s move to Winnipeg will lead this year’s Pride Parade though downtown Winnipeg.
Pepper, who grew up in Brandon and now lives in Ottawa, will also speak at the rally kicking off the June 5 parkade. The rally is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature.
Pepper is currently touring the country to raise awareness about the plight of gay refugees. His North Star Triangle project aims to mobilize members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and transgendered community to form groups of five and support refugees being persecuted in their homeland because of their sexuality.
The Winnipeg "Group of Five" has already committed to supporting a refugee coming to Winnipeg.
Pepper recently launched his cross-country tour in Winnipeg because it’s an immigrant city and the future home of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
"David Pepper reminds us that although we enjoy many rights and freedoms in our country, there are others around the world who still suffer because of who they love," said Pride Winnipeg chair Barb Burkowski. "As we celebrate Pride this year with a ‘unity’ theme, we want to acknowledge the inspiring work of David Pepper and the North Stat Triangle Project."
murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Pepper, who grew up in Brandon and now lives in Ottawa, will also speak at the rally kicking off the June 5 parkade. The rally is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature.
Pepper is currently touring the country to raise awareness about the plight of gay refugees. His North Star Triangle project aims to mobilize members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and transgendered community to form groups of five and support refugees being persecuted in their homeland because of their sexuality.
The Winnipeg "Group of Five" has already committed to supporting a refugee coming to Winnipeg.
Pepper recently launched his cross-country tour in Winnipeg because it’s an immigrant city and the future home of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
"David Pepper reminds us that although we enjoy many rights and freedoms in our country, there are others around the world who still suffer because of who they love," said Pride Winnipeg chair Barb Burkowski. "As we celebrate Pride this year with a ‘unity’ theme, we want to acknowledge the inspiring work of David Pepper and the North Stat Triangle Project."
murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
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