LGBTQIA2S+ community

Thousands celebrate community and resistance at Pride march

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Thousands celebrate community and resistance at Pride march

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Place D’Youville filled with a sea of people early Sunday afternoon as the clock ticked down to the scheduled start time of the annual Pride march. Older gay couples walked hand in hand; teenagers in colourful outfits draped themselves in various iterations of the rainbow flag and other Pride flags, including at least one extraordinary hand-crocheted rainbow cape. Mayor Bruno Marchand and fellow mayoral candidates Jackie Smith and Claude Villeneuve walked with their families or party colleagues, and Bonhomme Carnaval put on his rainbow sash and posed for selfies with parade-goers despite the heat. Families marched with young children, and groups of friends embraced the “you be you” atmosphere and marched in butterfly, wolf or cat outfits. Members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence – a Montreal- based performance art and community service group – marched in full makeup and glittering nuns’ habits.

The joyous chaos of the march is a longstanding tradition on the last day of Pride in Quebec City, which forgoes the flashy parades popular in some bigger cities for a march where anyone can participate, where formal partisan and corporate delegations are discouraged. Several thousand people marched up Boul. Honoré- Mercier toward the National Assembly and through Old Québec, chanting “Our voices, our rights!” and “Protect trans kids!” The march looped back up Rue Saint-Jean toward Place D’Youville, where anyone who wanted to could take the microphone and address the crowd for two minutes. Many took the opportunity to talk about ongoing discrimination against the gay and transgender community in Quebec and elsewhere, to criticize the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s approach to trans rights and to celebrate the spirit of community. One trans woman named Marie-Soleil said she was celebrating the 30th anniversary of beginning her transition. “Thirty years ago, I thought I was all alone, but look at us now!” she said to cheers.

Amid the swirling colours, one person wore a captain’s uniform. “I’m marching for myself and for all the people who think [being gay, queer or trans] can be an obstacle to their career,” said Coast Guard Capt. Jean-Christophe Laroche, an icebreaker captain. “I’ve marched every year for the past few years, unless I’ve been on my boat, but I haven’t been in uniform. This year I asked my supervisor if I could march in uniform, and my supervisor was OK with it, so here I am. We are the ones responsible for maritime search and rescue, and we don’t want anyone to be scared to call us because of who they are. You will be treated with respect.”

Carla Moffat and Miriam Blair, two moms active in the local English-speaking community, marched with Blair’s five-month-old daughter in a stroller. “We came here as friends and parents to give free hugs to anyone who needs them,” said Moffat, waving a “free hugs” sign.

Érica, a trans woman from Lévis who gave only her first name, grew up in a rural area where she said it was difficult for trans people to find work and feel safe. She said being part of the march through downtown Quebec City was a powerful experience. “I used to find Pride parades a little silly, but after I travelled a bit, I realized that just the visibility was hopeful, the fact that we can be ourselves and show the world we’re here.”

The day’s celebrations began with an open Zumba class on Place D’Youville, a queer art market and Broadway-themed street performances on Rue Saint-Jean in the historic heart of the city’s queer community, and gender-affirming activities at Place D’Youville and inside the Palais Montcalm, where people could experiment with clothes, makeup, new haircuts and gender presentation. A Sunday evening drag show featuring Barbada and Gisèle Lullaby topped off the festivities.

“This Pride reflected the communities of Quebec City. It brought together people from all walks of life and reaffirmed the importance of continuing to work together for a more inclusive society,” said Béatrice Robichaud, president of the Alliance Arc-en-Ciel de Québec, which organizes the annual celebrations, which began Aug. 28.

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Quebec City to celebrate Pride in August

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Quebec City will celebrate Pride in August

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

The height of summer is the perfect time for bright colours, celebrations and a season full of festivals. For four days, from Aug. 28 to 31, the 21st Festival Fierté Québec (formerly known as the Fête Arc-en-Ciel) will colour different areas of Quebec City and host a range of public events celebrating the two- spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (2SLGBTQ+) community.

According to the program, available online at fiertedequebec.ca/en, there will be free concerts and a Winter Carnival cooling station at Place D’Youville and the Passage Olympia, a Pride march along Rue Saint-Jean and a “Queer-tanic” celebration on board AML Louis-Jolliet. Renowned Quebec band Milk & Bone will get the party started on Aug. 29, with festivities on Rue Saint-Jean continuing throughout the weekend. On Aug. 30, festival-goers can enjoy storytime with Barbada at the Palais Montcalm at 10 a.m., a literary panel on growing up queer, a festive “100% Céline” cruise on the Louis-Jolliet ($65), the Pride Gala featuring Mona de Grenoble at 9:30 p.m. and a range of free outdoor performances starring local DJs, drag artists and other performers. For $50, VIP ticket holders get reserved seats to outdoor performances, food and drinks. For $75, they have access to the legendary Drague Cabaret Club.

On Aug. 31, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and allies are invited to wear their brightest colours during the Pride march, starting at 1 p.m. “We want to remind the public that this is not so much a parade as it is a supportive march, meaning that members and their allies are invited to show and affirm their colours in support and celebration of equality and plurality of the 2SLGBTQ+ community,” said Béatrice Robichaud, president of Alliance Arc-en-ciel de Québec. There will be more entertainment and Zumba at the Passage Olympia, tattoos at the Marriott Downtown hotel on both days and the Queer Market along Rue Saint-Jean on Sunday.

For the first time, Fierté de Québec is partnering with the Winter Carnival. “Their expertise, recognized well beyond our borders, allows us to deliver a coherent, inclusive and ambitious program, while ensuring rigorous resource management and exemplary c-ordination with our various partners,” said Sara Gagné Somarriba, co-executive director of Alliance Arc-en-ciel.

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Queer realities in Canada in 2025

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Callan Forrester – LJI reporter

There are laws in place in Canada that protect the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) people, including the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA), which was amended in 1996 to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation; Bill C-38, which legalizes gay marriage; and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees equality of rights for everyone.

That being said, there are still massive amounts of hate and discrimination that queer and trans people face in Canada. Statistics Canada reported a 69-per cent increase in hate crimes towards people based on their sexual orientation from 2022 to 2023. On top of this, eagle.ca (an organization that fights for equality for queer people) says that “from 2016-2023, police-reported hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation have increased a staggering 388 per cent.”

The numbers have risen so dramatically that even the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has made a statement about it. In February 2024, CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam said in an email to CBC News that “CSIS assesses that the violent threat posed by the anti-gender movement is almost certain to continue over the coming year, and that violent actors may be inspired by the University of Waterloo attack to carry out their own extreme violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community or against other targets they view as representing the gender ideology ‘agenda’.” This was in response to the June 2023 stabbing of multiple people in a University of Waterloo gender studies class by a former student. Balsam goes on to say, “CSIS assesses that exposure to groups and individuals espousing anti-gender extremist rhetoric could inspire and encourage serious violence against the 2SLGBTQI+ community, or against those who are viewed as supporters of pro-gender ideology policies and events.”

Very recently, there have also been book bans proposed in schools in Alberta for containing “inappropriate content.” Three out of four of the publications in question have queer themes and are being banned for being age-inappropriate, even though they were written as coming-of-age stories.

2025 election

During the 2025 federal election, topics regarding the queer and trans community were hardly mentioned, which was surprising considering how much of a talking point they were during the 2024 U.S. election. However, many queer voters were alarmed with Pierre Poilievre’s stance that minors should not have access to hormone blockers. Hormone blockers are gender-affirming medications that are widely regarded as safe for trans kids (and even some cis kids) to take, and are reversible in the event that someone decides to de-transition.

Poilievre also has a history of voting against queer rights, and specifically against gay marriage, even though his adoptive father is gay. That being said, he was on record this election saying he would not rescind gay marriage if he was prime minister.

In Quebec

Looking a little closer to home, there has been some controversy with the official Fierté Montreal this year. In response to the city’s mainstream programming, a new event – Wild Pride – will be its own, more inclusive festival. The reasoning behind this new festival is due to accusations that Fierté Montreal has a history of being racist and sexist.

Earlier this year, ten community groups signed a letter to Fierté Montreal cutting ties in response to its appearance of valuing of corporate sponsorships over community organizations. Yara Coussa, a board member for Helem (a Lebanese queer organization) expressed in a recent Montreal Gazette article that Fierté has become too corporate and they feel frustrated by its affiliation with companies that support Israel. Ray Traboulsi of Sapphix, a lesbian event-planning organization, also mentions frustration with Fierté’s willingness to allow pro-Israel groups in the parade.

In response, Fierté executive director Simon Gamache said that Pride is expensive, that they need corporate sponsorships, and added that they only work with organizations that support the queer community and avoid any companies blacklisted by the United Nations.

Gamache hosted a Zoom meeting on May 20 to speak with members of the community; however, Coussa and Traboulsi did not feel like their concerns were heard. Gamache said he felt as though certain attendees took up too much of the floor and wished for more unity between organizations. That being said, he did say, “We need more alternative queer scenes,” and said that Wild Pride is a good idea.

Coussa saw a huge outpouring of support for Wild Pride when the plans were announced and said, “We really want to do a ‘Fierté’ that’s for everyone. Not just a party.” The focus will be on diversity and inclusion, and will feature events like “workshops, tea times, drag story time, and parties.”

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JAG speaks out against homophobia and transphobia

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Callan Forrester – LJI reporter

On January 30, members of the Corporation de Développement Communautaire (CDC) de la Montérégie got together for the second edition of the Journée Arc-en-ciel, which has the goal of combatting homophobia, transphobia, and violence against the LBGTQIA+ community in the region and raising the general public’s awareness of these experiences.

For this year’s Journée Arc-en-ciel, Simon Proulx, the director of the CDC des Maskoutains, moderated a press conference that featured speakers from different organizations to talk about issues the queer community is facing. He set the tone of the conference by saying, “We’re here to talk about a worrying reality: the rise in homophobic and transphobic violence. Through this Journée Arc-en-ciel, we are reaffirming our commitment to a more inclusive and safe world for all people in the LGBT community.”

The day also included a virtual training session, which was introduced by Joanne Nystrom from Troc Montérégie. Over 200 organizations took part in this mobilization against hate.

Jessica Grenon and Dominique Théberge of JAG, and James Galantino of the Conseil Québécois LGBT spoke extremely candidly about the current realities for queer people. JAG is an organization that provides education and support about emotional, sexual, and gender diversity. It is the only such resource for many young queer people of the Montérégie. Grenon explained that from 2023 to 2024, there was a 69-per cent increase in hate crimes towards queer folks. On top of that, the data from 2017 to 2024 shows that now, one in five people are uncomfortable with a child being raised by two mothers, compared to one in 14 eight years ago.

They also explained that organizations like JAG are being turned away from schools because there is fear of how the students or parents will react. “I have colleagues who have had to be escorted to and from the bathroom, or even escorted out after a class period, because the students’ attitudes and comments suggested that their safety was in danger,” Grenon shared. She added that there have been weekly acts of violence towards members of the organization. “I’ve been at JAG for 10 years now and I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Our tolerance threshold for violence has reached levels that are completely disproportionate,” she said.

Galantino expanded on these concerns and the severity of their impact. “After food, safety is the second most basic need on Maslow’s pyramid … You need to understand that members of our community are scared.” He also reminded people that politics at the municipal level have the most direct impact on a citizen’s day-to-day life. He explained the Inclusive Municipalities project, which is a certification made possible by the Bureau de Lutte Contre l’Homophobie et la Transphobie. “The goal is also to offer a website, an updated map of all the municipalities in the Montérégie region, which shows commitments and municipalities that offer a climate of benevolence for their entire population,” he said. This is to help queer people know where they may be more safe.

Mélanie Villeneuve, mayor of Otterburn Park, also spoke to the importance of allyship at the municipal level. “Through our policies, through the actions we take on a daily basis, in our planning, etc., we can play the role of being benevolent. We can play the role of being good employers to ultimately promote openness and inclusiveness,” she said. Her goal is to “make living environments that are inclusive, that are welcoming, and that promote inclusiveness, openness, and caring.”

Right now, JAG is begging for people to be loud and proud allies to the queer community. “More than ever, we need allies – people who will act as amplifiers of the voices of people of sexual and gender diversity, and who will stand up for them. The danger of the rise of hate speech and hate behavior is very real and has catastrophic impacts,” Grenon said. Villeneuve added that “There’s work to be done, work that had to be done before, work that has to be done today, and work that will have to be done again tomorrow.”

The commitment to helping the queer community has to happen at all levels. It is important that members of the Haut Saint Laurent are also active in this work. Remi Pelletier from the CDC Haut-Saint-Laurent said, “Community organizations cannot meet the challenge of countering transphobia and homophobia alone. It is together, with the support of our partners and the public, that we can create safe and inclusive environments. The Journée Arc-en-ciel demonstrated that local solidarity can have a profound impact.”

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AFL Quebec introduces Australian football to Quebecers

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Photo Alice Martin

Emily Douris-Blondin,
Local Journalism Initiative

As soon as they arrive for their weekly practice, Australian Football League (AFL) Quebec players greet each other and spark conversations. Some have known one another for years, and others are completely new to the sport.

Everyone gathers before heading into practice drills, where the newcomers are encouraged to introduce themselves. Although initially nervous about participating, they still feel accepted by their fellow players.

Caroline Leduc, the vice-president of the league, is proud to be part of such a welcoming program.

“Our organization has always been very inclusive and supportive, regardless of a player’s athletic, physical or other abilities,” said Leduc. “We have members from various socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds as well as many members from the LGBTQIA2S+ community, with disabilities, or who have different maternal languages.”

Leduc’s best friend introduced her to Australian football, and she fell in love with the league’s sense of community. Leduc played college basketball, where there was always pressure to be the best, so she was taken aback by how everyone in AFL Quebec accepted each other regardless of their skill level.

Australian football is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field twice the size of an NFL field. Originating from Melbourne in the mid-19th century, the roots of the sport are planted in early forms of rugby and Gaelic football, but it is uniquely Australian.

Australian football is played with a ball similar to a rugby ball but longer and more pointed. Games last 80 minutes, split into four quarters of 20 minutes each.

Two sets of posts indicate the scoring areas at either end of the field. Players can either get six points for a goal when the ball travels between the inner set of posts, or one point for a behind when the ball is sent between the outermost set of posts.

The ball can be propelled in any direction through a kick or a clenched fish, called a handball or a handpass. When in possession of the ball, players must either bounce or touch it on the ground at least once every 15 metres while they run with it.

AFL Quebec is a nine-a-side football league—meaning nine players are on both sides of the field—founded in 2008 to capitalize on the popularity of Australian football in Montréal.

The league has men’s and women’s 18-a-side teams, the Quebec Saints, which compete against other representative teams across Canada and the United States.

The league also has a men’s and women’s division, which comprises teams from Montréal and its surrounding areas.

The regular season generally runs from May until early September, followed by a series of finals that last until late September. The preseason runs from February until April, consisting of training sessions and games.

AFL Quebec prides itself on focusing on inclusiveness and accessibility.

“We do everything possible to keep participation costs to a minimum,” said Leduc. “We are also helping with the integration and social support of newcomers in Montreal. We have many newcomer players, primarily from Australia but also from elsewhere, who have recently moved to Montreal and join us in an effort to make connections and grow a community in their new home.”

Morgan Whyte, the president of the league, was born in Canada but spent some time in Australia as a child. He enjoyed AFL Quebec from the first training session he attended.  

“I don’t really have any other friends outside of [AFL Quebec],” said Whyte, chuckling. “You come in, and you get into a position where everyone is so nice and so welcoming… When I’m thinking about what I’m going to do on the weekend, I think about my footy friends first.”

AFL Quebec is partners with Équipe Montréal, an organization bringing together LGBTQIA2S+ sports clubs and their allies in the greater Montréal region. They participate each year in the Montreal Pride Parade and the Community Day that takes place the day before. 

AFL Quebec also won the 2022 Équipe Montréal Event of the Year for their 2022 Pride Round. The Pride Round is an annual event held by AFL Quebec that includes Australian football sessions, games and other activities. This year, it will be held on June 9 at Collège André-Grasset.

But AFL Quebec’s diversity goes beyond Pride.

“I like the diversity because [all players are] not the same shape, but we all have our place on the pitch,” said David Marra-Hurtubise, a league member and board member. “There’s a big mix of personalities and every origin, too.”

Marra-Hurtubise learned about Australian football from his Australian brother-in-law. He had played soccer for the last 25 years, but he now loves getting to play with both his hands and feet.

Similar to Marra-Hurtubise, most AFL Quebec players said they found the sport through friends and family, but Carmela Jerry discovered the game about a year ago on Reddit.

Jerry loves the positive attitude everyone has, whether they are experienced or new players. Although she knew nothing about the sport, she liked how she could join even though she had no knowledge of it.

”You don’t have to even know the rules of the game before you join, so that’s been super great,” Jerry said.

Newcomers can join any sessions, even in tournaments like the Pony Platter.

The Pony Platter has been the traditional pre-season kick-off tournament since 2012. Hosted by the Ottawa Swans, it is held at the Manotick Polo Ground. 

“I wasn’t there when the tournament started, but I heard some players went to a thrift shop and found a plate with some engraved horses on it, so they called [the tournament] the Pony Platter,” said Leduc. “Since then, the women also started playing as well, and we bought a small red horse statue.”

The Quebec Saints and other teams across Canada visit Ottawa each year for the anticipated tournament, an all-day event with multiple games of men’s and women’s Australian football throughout. This year, the 2024 Pony Platter is held on May 11.

“The Pony Platter is a very friendly game when you start the season,” said Leduc. “It’s always a great time and good for new players to experience the game for the first time.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 44, Issue 13, published April 2, 2024.

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