Latest news with #2SLGBTQ
Hamilton Spectator
11-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Skateboard workshop for 2SLGBTQ+ families
Diversity Cornwall, with the assistance of the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) Foundation, hosted a two-weekend skateboarding workshop for 2SLGBTQ+ youth and the children of 2SLGBTQ+ caregivers at the Alexandria Skatepark and at RAAGE Skate Co. headquarters in North Glengarry. Youths aged 8-18 were able to participate in the skateboarding workshops, offering an opportunity to learn a new activity in a supportive, safe environment. Diversity Cornwall is a charitable organization founded to coordinate community events that foster diversity, unity and visibility. Diversity Cornwall looks to create awareness about the 2SLGBTQ+ community, educating the public to combat homophobia and discrimination. While this is the first event in Alexandria, Diversity Cornwall has hosted other fitness activities in the Cornwall area and is keen to explore opportunities in the surrounding counties. With funding from MLSE, Diversity Cornwall has provided events for all ages including: Swim to Survive; Yoga; Silks; Aquafit; Belly Dancing Lessons; Skiing & Snowboarding; and Skating. Each month during the year, a different activity is offered. Refreshments at the first skateboard workshop were provided by Tom Manley, recently retired from Tom's Pantry, and Bugs Sauvé sponsored drinks & refreshments for the second weekend workshop. Through the Community Services Department, the Township of North Glengarry sponsored lunch for both weekends. The Alexandria Recreation Association, part of North Glengarry's Municipal Recreation Association, sponsored the lunch for both weekend workshops. According to volunteers with Diversity Cornwall, most 2SLGBTQ+ youth report experiencing discrimination and exclusion in their day-to-day lives. As well, within sports environments there are often high levels of anti-LGBTQ+ harassment and low levels of intervention. Through the MLSE Foundation grant, organizations using sports, fitness and recreation, to create positive outcomes for youth, are supported. Youth are provided the opportunity to participate in many different physical activities, create friendships with other participants and pursue lasting dreams on the playing field – all in a safe and inclusive environment. The 2SLGBTQ+ volunteer group organizing the activities look to attain awareness, equality and acceptance for 2SLGBTQ+ families and community members living in Cornwall, Akwesasne and SDG Counties, while providing fitness activities specifically for 2SLGBTQ+ youth. Volunteers hope youth will benefit from the positive effects of being active while exploring their abilities and interests. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
England is launching a gonorrhea vaccine. Is Canada next?
England will soon begin administering a vaccine to high-risk individuals that may reduce their chances of contracting gonorrhea, but a similar program is not yet in the cards for Canada. According to studies cited by England's National Health Service, the 4CMenB vaccine, which is presently used in Canada for immunization against meningitis B, has an effectiveness of 32.7 to 42 per cent against gonorrhea. To combat rising infection rates, the health service said last month it will begin administering the vaccine free of charge in August for those deemed to be at high risk of contracting gonorrhea, including gay and bisexual men who have a history of sexually transmitted infection or multiple sex partners. But the vaccine has not been authorized for this use in Canada, even as cases of gonorrhea continue to rise across the country. According to the most recent national statistics, rates of the sexually transmitted infection more than tripled in Canada from 2010 to 2022, going from 11,381 in 2010 to 35,956 in 2022. Gonorrhea, often referred to as "the clap," is passed on through oral, anal or genital sex. People who've been infected, especially women, often show no symptoms at all. If left untreated, it can have serious health risks. In an interview with CBC News on Monday, Calgary physician Caley Shukalek, the chief medical officer for Freddie, an online service that focuses on 2SLGBTQ+ health care, said it's still too soon to know how effective the 4CMenB vaccine will be at preventing new gonorrhea infections. Early research hasn't been conclusive either, Shukalek said, citing another study conducted by researchers in France that suggested the vaccine may not have any statistical effect on gonorrhea rates. "I think in the medical community, there's still a bit of skepticism," he said, noting that more research needs to be done before the true impact is known. The potential upside is promising enough, however, that Shukalek said he has begun prescribing the vaccine to some people who are willing to pay for it out of pocket or through private health insurance. "Its safety is very well established, so for those at high risk of STIs, I think this is a very worthwhile thing and something that could be considered," he said. "But because it's kind of what we call off-label, it absolutely is something that needs to be a discussion between a prescriber and a patient to make sure that it's the right decision based on their individual risk." The vaccine is typically administered in two phases, he said, with the second dose coming at least four weeks after the first. Chris Aucoin is the executive director of the Health Equity Alliance of Nova Scotia, a group that advocates for those living with HIV and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. He's aware of the latest research on the use of the 4CMenB vaccine to help prevent the spread of gonorrhea, but notes that even if it's approved, it would only be one part of a potential prevention strategy. Aucoin said the best thing people can do now and in the future to prevent the spread of gonorrhea is to get tested regularly. "If people are concerned about gonorrhea rates, which are too high … the biggest factor in that for me is the fact that people don't test regularly enough." He said the recent launch of Nova Scotia's STI Care Now program, which mails out free at-home testing kits for chlamydia, gonorrhea and HIV to anyone interested across the province, is a positive step toward making this easier. "We now have a tool that's accessible to them in a way that's never been the case in Nova Scotia," he said. In a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization is monitoring the latest research on the 4CMenB vaccine. In a 2023 report, the advisory committee noted that although the vaccine is not currently authorized for this purpose, it may "offer some level of cross-protection against gonococcal infection." The agency said it expects the committee to further assess this possibility as more evidence becomes available. Nova Scotia's Department of Health and Wellness echoed this statement, noting that it takes its cues on immunization from the committee Those looking to pay out of pocket for the vaccine in the private market would be looking at around $200 per dose, the department said. In 2024, there were 368 new cases of gonorrhea reported in Nova Scotia. MORE TOP STORIES
CBC
04-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
What's at stake if Alberta removes certain books from its school libraries?
Social Sharing Last week, the government of Alberta revealed plans to introduce new guidelines that will determine what books will be allowed on the shelves of school libraries across the province. The province's education minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, invited Albertans to take part in an online survey to help shape the new rules that will take effect this fall. The move comes after Nicolaides said he received complaints from parents about four particular books that concerned them: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Blankets by Craig Thompson, and Flamer by Mike Curato. Three out of four of these discuss 2SLGBTQ+ themes, leading many advocates to worry that queer literature would be unfairly targeted under the new guidelines. Today on Commotion, guest host Amil Niazi speaks with Mel Woods, senior editor at Xtra Magazine, and Laura Winton, president of the Library Association of Alberta, to discuss what's at stake for Alberta children and libraries. We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube: Amil: Mel, there's 2,200 schools across Alberta. Those books that [Nicolaides] mentioned only appear in 58 schools, and those books are not new books. So why do you think this particular concern is happening right now? Mel: Yeah, I think that's the biggest thing that we have to be really clear about with this, is that while the Alberta government has been framing this announcement as some discovery of this lewd material that's been unearthed, the only new thing here is the Alberta government's decision to care about this right now. And we have to look at the larger political context at play here. Nicolaides was saying that he heard from concerned parents. Reporting from the Investigative Journalism Foundation last week showed that those concerned parents were the Christian advocacy group, Action4Canada, which was involved in the Freedom Convoy. And also played a huge role in getting the school pronoun policies in both Saskatchewan introduced and New Brunswick, and the gender-affirming care attacks that the Alberta government's already taken. So this doesn't come in a vacuum. It's not just some genuinely, earnestly concerned parents calling up the government and saying, "Get these books out of libraries." There are coordinated movements and efforts to target these books in specific. These books on this list have been targeted in the States before. There are lists of these books that go around within these types of organizations, and they target specific governments who might seem willing to help them with those campaigns. And we look at the larger political context of what's happening in Alberta right now. [Premier] Danielle Smith and her government are looking at these separatist folks to the further right, to the further socially conservative, and are worried about their base fracturing…. These groups and organizations are coming to governments with intent to get these sorts of policies introduced, and to stoke a culture war, and to stoke a moral panic. We can never talk about these things and take what they're saying at face value and be like, "Oh, some genuinely concerned parents. We're just so worried about these lewd books." No, there are coordinated email writing campaigns. There are very influential political actors involved here, and that's an important context to have. Amil: Laura, how would you have preferred the province initiate a discussion like this? Rather than just jumping to the survey, is there something the Library Association would have preferred to see first? Laura: Yeah, absolutely. I think, first and foremost, we would have loved a conversation — at least a heads up. The Library Association of Alberta wasn't contacted. None of the public school boards were contacted as well. So this came as a total surprise to all of us. If the government had concerns about material that was in school libraries, it seems most appropriate to me that they would have approached school boards, potentially approached the Library Association of Alberta to get a bit more information on what the current processes look like, and then conversations could happen from there. Amil: So the books that we're talking about include Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, and Flamer by Mike Curato, all of which discuss and depict 2SLGBTQ+ relationships…. The government's position is that certain books have no place in school libraries. What is the case for keeping books like the ones I mentioned on the shelves? Laura: It's worth noting that these are all award-winning graphic novels. These have been reviewed in major publications. Here's a quote from Publishers Weekly about Gender Queer: "This heartfelt graphic memoir relates with sometimes playful honesty the experience of growing up non-gender-conforming. It's sure to spark valuable discussions at home and in classrooms." So this material is intended to be put in front of children. One of the books, Blankets, I studied in library school years ago in a children's literature class. And what we were talking about in that class was very specifically, "How do we use this as material to help children understand their experiences?" So librarians know how to do this. We're thinking carefully about it. And there is consensus from experts on these books. This is not, as the minister has said, equivalent to a Hustler magazine. This is an award-winning text.
Ottawa Citizen
04-06-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
Kaplan-Myrth: Why I resigned as a trustee from the OCDSB
On June 3, I resigned from the position of trustee for Zone 9 (Capital and Alta Vista) at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. 'If you resign, please tell people why. Don't just leave,' said a fellow trustee. Article content So here I am. This is the story of my three years as a trustee. It is a cautionary tale about the ways in which public school boards in Canada are under siege. Article content Article content Article content Following my medical advocacy during the pandemic, I was approached by neighbours in July 2022 to run as a trustee in Ottawa. As a progressive voice in the community, I was tasked by my constituents with the responsibility to keep social justice issues on the agenda, and to advocate for academic supports for students with disabilities, neurodiverse students, 2SLGBTQ students, Indigenous and racialized students. Article content School board trustee is a part-time position with hundreds of hours of work, board or committee meetings, sometimes twice a week, 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. It comes with a $17,000 salary, no support staff, a flood of emails from angry constituents and very little political esteem. It is nevertheless an important position. Trustees develop strategic plans, shape elementary and secondary school programs, oversee budgets (for the OCDSB, more than $1 billion), and develop and revise policies that affect every student and educator in the school district. Most trustees have no background in education, economics, urban planning, management, policy analysis or disability. Article content Article content Article content Sadly, school boards are also particularly vulnerable to political manipulation. In the United States, there is a well-established pattern of MAGA-inspired takeovers of school boards by people whose agendas include banning books, removing topics such as sexuality, gender identity and sex ed from curriculum, and even erasing the science of evolution. In Ontario and across Canada, this is a very difficult time, in general, to run a Board of Education, with chronic underfunding from the ministry, staff shortages, over-crowding of classrooms, unprecedented dysregulation of students, and the concomitant challenge of increasingly radicalized groups that seek to influence us through an avalanche of emails, petitions and disruptions of our board rooms and schools.
CBC
03-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Toronto officials raise Progress Pride flag at city hall to kick off month of festivities
Toronto officials raised the Progress Pride flag at city hall on Monday to kick off a month of festivities celebrating the city's 2SLGBTQ+ community. Mayor Olivia Chow said it's more important than ever to support Toronto's 2SLGBTQ+ community. Chow was joined by Coun. Chris Moise, chair of the Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Advisory Committee, and city staff. "It's not a choice. It is who we are. It's in the city's DNA that we will always support the LGBTQ community," Chow said in an interview after the flag-raising. "We know that when we come together, we're stronger. We will not be divided and we'll stand shoulder to shoulder with the community and supporting it every way. I invite all Torontonians to enjoy Pride Month." Those involved, including drag performer Sanjina DaBish Queen, said Pride started as a protest and it's important to support the transgender community "The light just needs to be on trans people right now. It does. We're very important to the community. We're important to this world. And we just want to live. We just want to breathe." Pride Toronto recently reported two of its largest sponsors, Home Depot and Google, have said they no longer want to sponsor the festival, but executive director Kojo Modeste said the withdrawal of support won't affect this year's festivities. "We already have contracts that we are obligated to. Where we might feel it, it's next year. But I do believe that all three levels of government will come on board. We're going to have more sponsors." City representatives said they'll continue to support Pride in Toronto in whatever ways they can. "At the end of the day, it's their loss," Chow said. "And if American companies want to pull out from supporting Pride, we will step in, Canadian companies will step in, the government will step in." Throughout the month of June, Pride events will be held across Toronto. Pride culminates with the festival weekend that runs June 27 to 29. That includes Toronto's Pride Parade, which is the second largest in the world.
