This is an irregular column for Q Atlantic Canadian news items that we can't do full articles about. If you hear of any Q happenings that deserve a little or a lot of light shone on them, email us!
Sections: World • Canada • Atlantic Canada • PEI • NB • Halifax • Rest of Nova Scotia.
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World
Omar Encarnacion, author of Out in the Periphery: Latin America’s Gay Rights Revolution, visited Harvard University as a revisiting of his book and to provide an update of the situation in Latin America. Chile and Cuba have legalized same-sex marriage. Those developments continue Latin America;s strides for LGBTQ+ rights. In Out in the Periphery Encarnacion credited the movement of the people as to how Argentina came to legalize same-sex marriage in 2010, ahead of France, the UK and the USA , of Trans people gaining equal rights, so-called reparative therapy becoming illegal and that same-sex couples can get government assistance to form families. Uraguay also legalized same-sex marriage, and Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador introduced civil unions. Notably, almost every Latin American country decriminalized homosexuality and laws were being introduced or enacted banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Lesbian writer Sylvia Townsend Warner is honoured in Dorset, England, by a statue, the first statue memorializing a non-royalty woman and the only statue in Dorset of a woman. Warner was a poet, a writer and lived openly with her partner Valentin Ackland, also a poet. Even though there was severe stigmatization of same-sex relations and people at the time, their openness of their partnership helped light the way for the future.
Legalization of civil partnerships is closer to reality in Poland thanks to a draft law being published on October 25. However, many who helped the pro-European coalition government come to power want liberal, human rights progress to take place faster so voices are calling for progress. The draft law will give same-sex couples inheritance and medical information rights about their partners. Let’s hope the draft becomes law. It is up to the parliament and President Andrzej Duda.
Canada
Research: Songwriting & Food
From: Philip Joy, MSVU
I am reaching out to request your support in sharing a call for participants for a new research project titled Voices of Nourishment: Developing Novel Curriculum Tools for 2SLGBTQ+ Cultural Safety.
This project, funded by the Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research, engages 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in participatory songwriting workshops to explore and share their experiences of food, nutrition, and health. The co-created songs will support the development of a training toolkit aimed at fostering cultural safety, equity, and inclusion within health and nutrition education and practice.
We are currently recruiting 2SLGBTQ+ participants for workshops We have 2 upcoming dates: Wednesday Jan 28 7PM AST, Saturday Jan 31 2PM AST, but will also be planning more.
No experience in songwriting or music is required. Participants will receive an honorarium in recognition of their time and contributions.
Research: Chronic Pain
From: Katie @ Community-Based Research Centre
I am collaborating on SHAPE+: Shaping Research in Pain through Equity for 2S/LGBTQQIA+ Communities. SHAPE+ is a national, community-led project that centers the voices, priorities, and lived experiences of 2S/LGBTQQIA+ people living with chronic pain in Canada. The goal of the project is to co-develop research questions about chronic pain together with the 2S/LGBTQQIA+ community using a citizen science approach, over three project phases.
For phase one of the project, we are inviting 2S/LGBTQQIA+ individuals with chronic pain to share their experiences through a short, anonymous survey that takes about 10 to 30 minutes to complete. We are sharing this invitation across community networks throughout January and February so that people who are interested have the chance to participate. If you are able to share this invitation within your community networks, it would help the study reach people who may wish to participate.
If you are able to share this work, we have a project poster, square graphic, and a social media toolkit, including proposed captions that you are welcome to adapt for your needs and network. If you’re sharing online, please consider using the hashtag #SHAPEpluspain so we can follow engagement and reach. You are also more than welcome to print and post the project poster in community spaces!
We will begin phase two toward the end of March. That phase will involve inviting community members to participate in small group discussion workshops that use insights from the survey to help co-develop research questions about chronic pain. We hope to reach out to you about these next steps in the coming months, but please let us know if you prefer not to be re-contacted.
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more or participating, please visit https://bit.ly/shapepluspain. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Principal Investigator, Dr. Codie Primeau, at shapepluspain@gmail.com.
Atlantic Canada
Creating safe & affirming churches
Rev. Nichola Cumine at St John The Evangelist Anglican in Middle Sackville has written a brief article on creating safe & affirming churches for the Anglican newlsetter, The Diocesan Times. Sections includes: Cultivating inclusive language & practices, Providing education & training, and Building Intentional relationships. There's a link to the article here.
HIV+ Health & Healing Forum
The HIV Health & Healing Forum is a multi-day gathering that brings together People Living with HIV (PLWH) from across Nova Scotia, centered around the theme of Positive REconnection.
The forum is completely free to attend, with accommodations, travel, and food covered for those coming from out of town. Lunch and snacks will be provided on-site for all participants.
This gathering will provide a space for PLWH to connect, share experiences, learn more about HIV (including treatment challenges), dating while HIV+, discuss challenges, and grow a peer support network. The forum will include guest speakers, conversation circles, creative projects, and skill-building activities.
This gathering will also help lay the groundwork for a larger Knowledge Exchange Forum (KEF) planned for fall, which will bring together PLWH, community support workers, academics, and healthcare professionals to explore better ways to support people living with HIV and ongoing HIV/AIDS work.
Logistics: Wheelchair-accessible location in downtown Halifax; March 6–8, 2026; Friday, March 6: 6:00–9:00 PM; Saturday, March 7: 9:00 AM–5:00 PM; Sunday, March 8: 9:00 AM–2:00 PM. With free optional evening events on Saturday and Sunday.
How to Apply: If this forum sounds interesting to you, we encourage you to apply by: completing the application form or contacting staff at hanleys@healns.ca or submitting a 5–15 minute video or audio file answering the application questions and the file to hanleys@healns.ca. Applications close Monday, February 9 at 11:59 PM AST. All applicants will be notified by Friday, February 13
Research, Cookbook: Food & Grief
A community-engaged research project centers around food, memory, and grief within 2S/LGBTQI+ communities nationally and in the United States (I have ethics to cover both countries).
This work uses arts-based methods to explore how sharing stories and recipes can support intergenerational connection and healing, especially for those impacted by HIV/AIDS and related forms of loss. So, people would share recipes with me that are important or honor a loved one lost to AIDS.
One of the planned outputs of this project is a community cookbook that will honour these shared experiences—something that will live on beyond the research itself as a public-facing and meaningful contribution.
Interested? Email phillip.joy@msvu.ca
Research: Romantic Relationships & Jealousy
Cape Breton University Psychology Honours student Anna Penny is looking for participants for a study on romantic relationships and jealousy. Adults aged 19 and older who are in a monogamous relationship of at least 3 months are invited to complete a short (15 minutes), anonymous online survey asking questions about your romantic relationships. If you questions, contact Anna Penny or Dr. Pablo Santos-Iglesias.
To take part in the study, click here.
Unexpected Rainbows
From 2024, when JK Rowling's yacht was docked in Halifax Harbour.
Posted by Maggie Helen in the Facebook group "Halifax Queer Network"
Have you seen a Pride symbol in an unexpected place? Mail your sighting to Wayves for some future News Bytes!
Prince Edward Island
Paid Research: Your Hurricane Fiona Experience as a Rainbow Elder
Employment and Social Development Canada is holding a session to gather information about the long-term impacts of Hurricane Fiona on our specific community (see poster attached). $75 will be paid to each in-person participant in the discussion group. The discussion takes place from 1pm-3pm on Sunday, February 1st at the PEERS Alliance office in Charlottetown at 250B Queen Street. Please consider attending, and please register at this link.
Queer Poetry Club
Queer Poetry Club meets the first Saturday of every month in the PEERS office (520B Queen St.). This is an opportunity for members of the queer community to write, read, and listen to poetry in a supportive environment. No previous experience is required and snacks/materials are provided. For more information, email the organizers.
A Guide for PEI Tenants
Rental Hearings 101: A Guide for PEI Tenants with lawyer James Profit from Cox & Palmer
When: Wednesday, February 4th, 12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
Where: Online – Zoom Webinar
Register here: Rental-Hearings-101.eventbrite.ca
This free session will help explain the rental hearing process for tenants and for service providers who support tenants. You will learn how rental hearings work, how to prepare evidence, and simple tips to present a case with confidence.
This session will be helpful if you: Work with tenants who need support with the hearing process; Are a tenant and are preparing for a hearing with the PEI Rental Office; Want to better understand what happens during a hearing; Have questions about evidence, timelines, or presenting your case.
If you cannot attend, please feel free to share this invitation with clients, colleagues, and others in your networks. All are welcome.
Renting PEI is a project of Community Legal Information that helps tenants and landlords understand their legal rights and responsibilities. This project is funded by the Law Society of Prince Edward Island.
Newfoundland & Labrador
No news is not good news! Send in your news items!
New Brunswick
No news is not good news! Send in your news items!
Halifax
Every event of significance to the Halifax Q community is posted on the Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia Events Board. Repeating events are at the top of the page; the calendar is below.
Rest of Nova Scotia
Petite Queer Pride, on the South Shore, is fundraising. "We Need Your Help to Make the 4th Annual PQP Happen!" says their poster. Their info and donation page is here.
On June 4, the Nova Scotia Non-Profit Housing Association held a 2SLGBTQ+ Housing Network meeting, where they talked about better supporting affordable housing initiatives for 2SLGBTQ+ communities. Their notes say that the challenges discussed include high material and trade costs in maintaining older buildings, and securing Trades for work.
On September 18, Nova Scotia MLA Lisa Lachance recognized the Elderberries' celebration of Raymond Taavel’s life earlier this year, in the Legislature. The text and video are here in the Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia.
The Truro Tap Room lauded as the only refuge for the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the historically conservative town of Truro, N.S., has announced it's closing its doors next month, adding to the growing number of shuttering craft breweries in the province.
Truro Brewing Company co-owner Jana Dellapinna said she and her partner Patricia Dellapinna "did not come to the decision lightly."
"The business prided itself on being an overtly safe space for the 2SLGBTQ+ community to gather, decorating its walls with rainbow flags and portraits of prominent queer figures.
Founded in 2019, Truro Brewing hosted events that celebrated the community, provided a venue for live music and offered information about social issues, such as the residential tenancy act." CBC story here.
Do you have some Q Atlantic news, big or small? Email Wayves with the particulars!
