The Martlet

In February, representatives from the UVic Pride Collective attended the Canadian University’s Queer Services Conference (CUQSC) in Guelph, Ontario. And they returned in high spirits – now UVic is set to host the conference in 2010. But there is plenty to be done before then.

“We’re excited because Pride is bigger and doing more than it has in recent years,” said Miryam Burns, one of Pride’s coordinators who attended the conference. “With all the groups we hope to involve, we think the community can really come together.”

The 2009 CUQSC featured a keynote speaker and a series of workshops put on by different community groups. The theme of the conference was “Intersectionality”— the idea was that each group works for a different aim, but many of those aims intersect for individual people. Yet no one person is defined by a single aim. For example, a queer person of colour would be working to raise awareness of multiple aims.

“The theme was a good idea,” said Burns. “It made people realize that the issues we all face are not just about sex and gender.”

However, UVic Pride plans to up the ante at the 2010 conference. The proposed theme is “Celebrating and Exploring Community: Stirring the Ultimate Soup,” which reflects the wide array of groups that Pride hopes to involve. They plan to facilitate more community building through workshops, discussion groups and a social dance.

“One thing we were frustrated about [at the 2009 conference] was the inaccessibility of the language,” said Burns. “There’s a lot of jargon involved, and if you don’t know the language it can be difficult to follow.”

Burns says that intersectionality, identity and the fluidity of gender are not common terms. At the new conference, they hope to make sure everyone understands their meanings.

The Pride group is already hard at work on the 2010 conference. They will need to arrange accommodation, food and volunteers, and overcome greater challenges like the Safer Space concept.

“It’s difficult to make sure people know that prejudice and intolerance will not be allowed in any form,” said Burns.

Safer Space allows for open discussion of topics that may be viewed as controversial in any other setting. The Pride office and discussion groups already make successful use of this concept, but translating it into a larger event can be difficult.

However, optimism is high and Pride is enthusiastic about both conferences.

“I liked learning about the intersectionality of queer issues,” Andrew Shopland said of the Guelph conference. “It was informative and we learned a lot about other people’s experiences.”

For more information, or if you’re interested in helping out, contact Pride at uvicpride@uvss.uvic.ca, or stop by their office, SUB B118.