The joy inside of the National Arts Centre was palpable this past weekend as hundreds of Black queer activists, groundbreakers, and changemakers gathered for the first-of-its-kind 2SLGBTQI+ Black Futures Summit.
Hosted by The Enchanté Network, the Ottawa-based conference kicked off in style (and joy) with a Kiki Ball on March 1, before panels, round table discussions, workshops, keynote speeches, and more unfolded throughout the weekend. The goal of the conference was to discuss what a national Black 2SLGBTQI+ organization should look like.
“In Canada, the establishment of a national Black 2SLGBTQI+ organization is imperative to address the unique challenges faced by Black queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people,” reads the Back to Our Roots report, released by Enchanté over the weekend.
BACK TO OUR ROOTS REPORT FINDINGS
The Back to Our Roots survey results were revealed following an extensive consultation launched in March 2023 that heard from over 400 Black 2SLGBTQI+ individuals across Canada. The report revealed some disturbing statistics that speak to the unique experiences of Black 2SLGBTQI+ people in the country.
Enchanté’s project confirmed what many of us already knew: Canada has a lack of Black 2SLGBTQI+ visibility and representation in physical and social spaces nationwide. The report also spoke to the compounded discrimination experienced by many Black people within 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
In fact, 70 per cent of respondents have experienced hate crimes, according to the report. Of those respondents, 52.6% said they had experienced a hate crime based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, while 70.2 per cent had experienced a hate crime based on their racial identity.
Additionally, 55 per cent of respondents had experienced a racist hate crime or incident perpetrated by someone who identifies as 2SLGBTQI+. Additionally, 70 per cent said they had experienced a homophobic or transphobic hate crime or incident by a racialized person.
A staggering 85 per cent of respondents have experienced anti-Black racism while accessing 2SLGBTQI+ spaces. Despite this, 64 per cent would rather seek out services from a (non-Black) 2SLGBTQI+ organization, than an organization dedicated to serving (non-2SLGBTQI+) Black communities.
When looking at issues such as housing, 55 per cent of people surveyed said anti-Black racism had impacted their ability to access or maintain stable housing, while 40 per cent said their access to housing was impacted by their sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity.
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
To combat these issues, the network is looking at the creation of a national organization dedicated to serving Black 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
“We’re in Ottawa to celebrate… to dream, to envision a future where Black queer and trans people have a voice, have equitable futures,” Britt Hudson, Manager of Programs at The Enchanté Network, told Queer & Now.
“We’re also designing a national organization that is by us and for us.”
Hudson explained that despite extensive research that has historically been done on Black people, Black researchers are often not at the forefront of this work.
“We’re not the ones who are in the driver’s seat, telling our own stories. We’re spoken about in ways that don’t really represent us. So, being able to do this in a space where we’re in the driver’s seat, we get to be in conversation with each other, and say what matters to us and how it’s going to happen, it’s never been done in this way.”
“Everyone is invited to the table to share.”
Hudson explained that despite frequently coming to the National Arts Centre for conversations around 2SLGBTQI+ policy and inclusion, they are often the only Black person in the room.
“When we saw that we could do it at the National Arts Centre, [we said] yeah, we’re going to have a Kiki Ball here. We’re going to do the queerest, Blackest thing possible in this space, and then we’re going to dream here. To be able to do that in a space that hasn’t always been for us, a place that hasn’t always let us in, because there were times we couldn’t get into this building, is my ancestors’ wildest dream. One of them.”
“Our ancestors are so happy today, I can feel it in this room.”
As hundreds gathered to lay the foundation for this direly needed organization, Enchanté’s Executive Director Tyler Boyce shared why this summit is so important.
“[This summit is] Black queer and trans people from across these lands, bringing every part of their experience, talent, insight, and foresight to making an organization that feels like home for Black queer and trans folks in this country,” Boyce told Queer & Now.
“[This] is really us getting back to where queer and trans movements came from. We have a 2SLGBTQI+ movement because of brave people like Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman who ignited this movement, who put it all on the line for us,” he continued.
“Black, queer and trans people are at the forefront of Canada’s social justice movements, and something happens along the way where we get erased. This organization is taking a different approach to that, disrupting it and making sure that we’re put back into the centre of these conversations.”
Boyce explained that he wants to see this organization ensure that when decisions impacting Black 2SLGBTQI+ communities are happening, they have a seat at the table. Additionally, he wants to see the organization make the world a better place for Black queer and trans people.
“We cannot afford to have organizations picking apart our identities when we live at that intersection of experiencing hate in this country,” Boyce said. “This organization will make sure that the key issues that Black queer and trans people have to deal with, the barriers that have to be broken down, are no longer an afterthought.”
