Local 2SLGBTQIA+ Resources
and Initiatives
A non-exhaustive list of local Hamilton organizations and initiatives, at McMaster and beyond, led by and for 2SLGBTQIA+ members of our community.
Compiled by Dr. Melinda Gough (she/her) together with students in the Department of English and Cultural Studies Fall 2022 graduate seminar Engendering the (Queer, Trans, Non-Binary) Early Modern Stage: Then and Now.
Queer and Trans Colour Club, McMaster University
The Queer Trans Colour Club is a club for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPoC) 2SLGBTQ+ students by BIPoC 2SLGBTQ+ students. Our mandate is to provide a space for racialized queer and trans students, tell our stories, and educate the McMaster community about our experiences.
Located on the second floor of MUSC, Room 204, the Women and Gender Equity Network (WGEN) is a peer support driven service that caters to women, trans folk, people who identify outside the gender binary, gender non-conforming folk and all survivors of sexual and gender-based violence from all gender identities.
Located on the McMaster campus, second floor of MUSC, Room 221, the Pride Community Centre (PCC) is a student-run service provided by the McMaster Student Union that aims to challenge oppressive social attitudes and norms, patriarchy, homo/trans/bi/lesbophobia, and the like, at the systemic level. PCC provides a contact point for McMaster students that may identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or any of the other diverse identities that make up our community.
speqtrum is a program of YWCA Hamilton that is youth-founded and youth-focused. speqtrum focuses on skill-sharing and community building for 2S-LGBTQIA+ young people in Hamilton, ON. speqtrum offers services for 2S-LGBTQIA+ youth who are new to Canada, and has published Spectrum Hamilton: “Hamilton’s LGBTQ+ Handbook Resources for the Community, Families & Friends.”
Hamilton Trans Health Coalition
This non-profit coalition of health care providers, advocates, and community members works to increase the capacity of health systems in Hamilton, Ontario to meet the needs of trans, gender-diverse, and non-binary people.
A trans and non-binary prioritized space that is committed to fostering community, solidarity, support, advocacy and access to resources, particularly for community members who are marginalized due to race, class, age, mental health and abilities. Kyle’s Place uses a peer/mutual aid model and values the knowledge gained from lived experience.
The Unicorn Fund, Hamilton Community Foundation
Created by Jared Lenover and Chris Farias (Unicorn Rebellion), this fund supports opportunities for the LGBTQ2S+ community to shine, and a chance to speak their brilliant truth. The Unicorn Fund has been put in place to make sure our city supports every colour in the rainbow, and that all LGBTQ2S+ kids and their families feel like they belong. Click here to learn more and make a donation.
Realized as a passion project by a group of friends who grew up and came out together, Points of Pride is a place-based resource designed to reveal and celebrate sites of 2SLBGTQ+ heritage in Hamilton. The interactive, curated platform intends to emplace 2SLBGTQ+ experiences that intersect across race, class, gender, age, and sexuality to materialize the spectrum of life in the city across generations and community boundaries.
2SLGBTQ+ Community Archive: Hamilton Public Library/McMaster University
This project centres on the creation of a new archive, housed at the Hamilton Public Library (HPL), designed to catalogue and expand upon historical materials donated by the late Michael Johnstone (a McMaster graduate). Read more about this collaboration and its ongoing initiatives to represent racial and gender diversity within our city’s LGBTQ community here.