Resources

This is the complete list of terms and definitions used in the OCASI Positive Spaces training modules.
 

This is a useful overview of the challenges faced by asylum seekers, inland refugee claimants, in the Canadian context. This was a document prepared by OCASI in 2015.

This guide is prepared by ACAS - Asian Community AIDS Services and is written with East and South East Asian cis women, trans women and non-binary newcomers in mind. It is intended to help better understand dating culture in Canada, slang, consent, and sexual health. 

Abstract

The settlement services sector in Toronto, Canada, has faced difficulties in responding to lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) immigrant youth in ways that respect their specific experiences. One way agencies have taken up this challenge in Toronto has been to develop LGBTQ-specific settlement services. Housed within a diverse range of organisations, these services are intended to engage and support LGBTQ immigrant youth. In this article, we report on evaluation research conducted with LGBTQ immigrant young people from Griffin Centre’s reachOUT Newcomer Network where we asked about their experiences accessing settlement services in Toronto. Our findings suggest that LGBTQ immigrant youth are deeply influenced by intersecting identities linked to racialization, sexuality, gender identity, education, employment, and immigration status. Participants expressed overwhelming interest in accessing support, but remain disconnected from settlement services. A reconceptualization of LGBTQ settlement services within a framework of hybridity that challenges essentialism and neo-colonialism would improve service delivery. This shift would allow for more integrated settlement services that acknowledge LGBTQ newcomer youth and their experiences of (un)belonging.

SPECTRUM, Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, developed this toolkit on trans mental wellness and suicide prevention in response to trans community needs and priorities. Given that many trans and gender diverse people struggle with suicide, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, this toolkit was created to:

1) Help trans and gender diverse people in and beyond Waterloo Region who may be struggling with suicidality or poor mental health.

2) Provide concrete tools and strategies to service providers working with trans and gender diverse people on inclusive care and trans suicide prevention.

3) Support parents, caregivers, friends and loved ones of trans and gender diverse people to be supportive of trans and gender diverse people in their lives.

4) Increase awareness of trans mental health and suicidality in and beyond Waterloo Region.

Black Femme Legal is a workplace toolkit for Black queer women, femmes and gender diverse folks across the 2SLGBTQI+ spectrum in Ontario needing workplace-related support.