Community Resources
General Resources
The 519
Community Wellness, Drop-in, Financial/Health/Housing Services, Legal Initiatives, New to Canada, Older 2SLGBTQ+ Adults, Programs, Support Groups, Trainings, and more
519 Church St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2C9
Front Desk: 416-392-6874
LGBT YouthLine
Confidential, Non-judgemental & Informed 2SLGBTQ+ Support through Ontario-wide peer-support HelpLine.
416-962-2232
Support Near You Search
Friends of Ruby
Mental health, case management, housing, drop-in programs, and food support for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth 16-29
416-359-0237
489 Queen Street East
(Second Level – Suite 201)
Toronto, ON
M5A 1V1
Harm Reduction
Pieces to Pathways (P2P) at Breakaway Community Centre
P2P is a peer-led initiative offering Canada’s first substance use support program for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth ages 16-29. They offer case management, community dinner, harm reduction support, as well as skills programs like BluePrints.
All of P2P's services are free and peer-led, delivered by Queer and Trans staff with their own experiences of substance use and recovery who share the underlying philosophy of harm reduction.
Harm Reduction Supplies & Locations
Masterlist of Agencies in Toronto that offer Harm Reduction Supplies and Services
HIV/AIDS
Toronto HIV/AIDS Community Resources
FIFE HOUSE
BLACK C.A.P.
CASEY HOUSE
HQ TORONTO
PEOPLE WITH AIDS TORONTO (PWA)
ONTARIO HIV TREATMENT NETWORK
TORONTO HIV/AIDS NETWORK (THN)
AIDS COMMITTEE OF TORONTO (ACT)
ASIAN COMMUNITY AIDS SERVICES (ACAS)
ONTARIO ABORIGINAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY (OAHAS)
CANADIAN FOUNDATION FOR AIDS RESEARCH (CANFAR)
Calendar
January
24
International Day of Education
January 1, 1997
The First Trans Festival 'Counting Past 2'
Founded by Mirha-Soleil Ross, a Métis trans sex worker, performance artist and activist, Counting Past 2 was the world’s first trans art festival. CP2 was organized in order to recognize the distinctive cultural and economic situation of trans communities and individuals, educate on the realities of sex work and debunk stereotypes about trans identity. The festival centered trans voices, and included cabaret and performance pieces. It ran until 2002.
January 31, 2002
Northwest Territories Includes Gender Identity in Human Rights Act
Through the adoption of Bill 1, Northwest Territories becomes the first jurisdiction in Canada to explicitly protect gender identity within its human rights legislation, providing trans people with explicit protection from discrimination.
January 2022
Canada Bans Conversion Therapy
After two failed attemps, legislation banning conversion therapy comes into effect. After two failed attempts, legislation banning conversion therapy comes into effect. It bans “any practice, treatment or service designed to change or repress a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression”. This landmark law protects queer and trans Canadians and is thanks to decades of campaigning. Canada is one of 24 countries that has banned conversion therapy.
February
Black History Month
7
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
14
Pink Triangle Day
14
Valentines Day
20
World Day of Social Justice
First week after Valentine’s Day
Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week (ASAW)
28
HIV Is Not A Crime Awareness Day
February 29, 1988
Svend Robinson comes out!
Robinson, then the MP for Burnaby-Kingsway in British Colombia, becomes the first MP to come out as gay, against the backdrop of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and endemic homophobia. When rumours circulated that he would make the announcement, the front window of his constituency office was smashed. Robinson came out anyway, stating he hoped to give "a message of hope and solidarity to the younger gay and lesbian people".
March
Bisexual Health Awareness Month
8
Women's Day
10
National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
17
St. Patrick's Day
20
National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
21
Omnisexual Awareness Day
27
World Theatre Day
31
Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV)
April
Poetry Month
2
World Autism Day
6
International Asexuality Day
18
National Transgender HIV Testing Day, Nonbinary Parents Day
22
Harvey Milk Day (USA)
26
Lesbian Visibility Day
Last week
Lesbian Visibility Week
May
AAPI Heritage Month
3
World Press Freedom Day
5
Red Dress Day for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls
17
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT)
24
Pansexual and Panromantic Awareness and Visibility Day
May 14, 1969
Homosexuality Decriminalized
With the passage of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, or Bill C-150, Canada decriminalized sexual acts between consenting adults. Then-Federal Minister of Justice (and eventual Prime Minister) Pierre Elliott Trudeau tabled the bill, famously summarizing it with 'There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation'.
May 26, 2019
First Two-Spirit Archives in Canada Launches
The University of Winnipeg launches the first Two-Spirit archives in Canada, believed to be the most comprehensive collection of two-spirit materials in Canada. Two-spirit activist Albert McLeod donated the original material for the Two-Spirit Archives to the University. The mission of the Archives is to develop an internationally-renowned centre for research that supports the needs of the Two-Spirit community, increases the visibility of Two-Spirit people, and ensures Two-Spirit people are central to preserving their history.
June
Pride Month
Indigenous History Month
12
Pulse Remembrance Day (USA)
21
National Indigenous Peoples Day
27
National HIV Testing Day
28
Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots (USA) / Christopher Street Day (Europe)
June 1, 1999
Blockorama premieres, as the First Black Queer Space at Toronto Pride
Created by Blackness Yes!, a community-based committee that works toward Black and Caribbean queer and trans representation, Blockorama is a space showcasing Black queer and trans history, creativity and resistance through visual art, music and performance. Blockorama continues to run today, hosting a stage at Toronto Pride annually. Blackness Yes! also hosts Blockobana, an LGBTQ+ affirming space during Caribana weekend.
July
First Saturday
Femme Appreciation Day
1
Canada Day
Week preceding July 14
Nonbinary Awareness Week
14
Nonbinary People's Day
16
International Drag Day
24
International Self Care Day
July 15, 1990
The Sex Garage Raids
In the early hours of the morning, Montreal police raided the after-hours venue 'Sex Garage', located in a downtown Montreal loft popular with the LGBTQ+ community. Club-goers were forced into the street and subjected to police violence from more than two dozen officers. The raids sparked a series of protests, including a sit-in in the gay village less than 18 hours later. This event is considered a turning point in Canadian LGBTQ+ history, often referred to as Montreal's Stonewall. It shocked the public and galvanized a new generation of LGBTQ+ resistance and activism.
August
9
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
Second Sunday
Gay Uncle's Day
18
Butch Appreciation Day
27
National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
31
Overdose Awareness Day
August 28, 1971
We Demand March
Supporting a brief entitled 'We Demand', this protest by queer activists on Parliament Hill in Ottawa was the first of its kind in Canada and the result of an emerging national network of organizations. Attended by over 200 protesters, Charlie Hill, a pioneer in the Canadian gay liberation movement, delivered the key speech, reading out a list of 10 demands, and delcaring, "No longer are we going to petition others to give us our rights as gifts. We’re here to demand them as equal citizens on our own terms."
August 2017
Canada Introduces X Gender on passports
Coming off the back of Bill C-16, which amended the Canadian Human Rights Act and added gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination, Canada introduces measures for implementing “X” gender designation on Canadian passports, as well as other documents issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. This is a step in affirming the gender diversity of Canadians and makes it easier for people who do not identify as female or male to acquire government-issued documents.