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COMMUNITY CONFERENCE
The Women’s Sexual Assault Centre of Renfrew County
'Creating Rural Rainbow Connections'
was held in May 2006
'CREATING RURAL RAINBOW CONNECTIONS
TOGETHER – WITH PRIDE
IN OUR COMMUNITIES’
(Funded
by: The Ministry of the Attorney General)
'CREATING RURAL RAINBOW CONNECTIONS - TOGETHER - WITH PRIDE IN OUR
COMMUNITIES'
raised
awareness about gender identity, sexual orientation, history and culture
of lesbian, gay bi & transgender people. This Conference and Media
Campaign challenged some of the myths and educated about the realities
of homophobia. These events provided opportunities to learn how
heterosexism, oppression and discrimination hurts all people.
The
purposes of this
Conference
were to;
·
increase public and service provider awareness of the oppression of gays
and lesbians in Renfrew County
·
increase awareness of the trauma experienced by gay and lesbian victims
of hate crimes in order to become knowledgeable and to be able to
provide meaningful support to gay and lesbian people.
The
Conference
included;
·
an
overview of the history and culture of gay and lesbian people
·
awareness of gender identity and sexual orientation issues
·
information about the impact of oppression, prejudice and isolation of
gay and lesbian people living in rural communities
·
review
of the law as it relates to hate crimes against gays and lesbians
·
information and resources about how to provide effective support systems
as individuals, organizations and the broader community
·
an
education and resource materials package for participants to share with
colleagues, family and other networks for future education purposes
The
Conference developed an 'ALLY ACTION PLAN' for individuals and
organizations in order to reduce future negative attitudes and beliefs.
The
Conference created opportunities for INCLUSIVITY for gay and
lesbian people in order to foster community building.
The
Conference provided an opportunity for gay and lesbian people to create
SAFETY STRATEGIES and become aware of resources for living in
rural isolated communities.
A
MEDIA CAMPAIGN promoted 'positive messages' about lesbian and gay
history and culture through posters, buttons, newspaper advertising and
radio announcements throughout all of Renfrew County.
A
‘LEADERS AMONG US’ Dinner
celebrated 17 individuals in Renfrew County from all walks of life who
work to be inclusive of lesbians and gay men and provide advocacy in
their workplaces, schools and faith communities.
The
Conference had 120 people attend.
It is
the hope that the
Conference,
Media Campaign & ‘Leaders Among Us’ Dinner
will 'interrupt' potential overt hate crimes and the covert acts of
emotional and verbal threats against lesbians and gay men living in
Renfrew County.
Event Follow-Ups include;
Presentation at OUT Games in Montreal - Summer 2006
Presentation at Violence Against Women Conference in Waterloo - February
2008
Presentation at Algonquin College - March 2008
Presentation at National Conference of College Social Workers
- Perth, May 2008
Lavender Living Room Drop-In - Fall 2008 email:
directorwsac@vianet.ca
for more info
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