Resources

Created by Ottawa-based Capital Rainbow Refuge, this toolkit aims to assist individuals claiming refugee protection based on SOGIESC by: Learning about the refugee claim process in Canada based on SOGIESC; Writing a complete and correct narrative about their life experiences; Collecting evidence that may best support their claims; and Addressing common misunderstandings about SOGIESC refugee claims in Canada. The QRHP Toolkit is free and available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. You can download the complete Toolkit, or specific sections. There is also an interactive version available on a safe and secure online platform.

The Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) is a coalition of 42 Member States, co-chaired by the governments of the United Kingdom and Argentina and works with over 120 LGBTQ+ civil society organizations. This report addresses critical issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community amidst COVID-19. These issues are broadly categorized into three themes: healthcare, economic well-being, and social issues. Each of these three complex themes are explored, providing literature, reports, and research to reflect on. The report concludes with 12 recommendations for policy makers and practitioners which address a range of issues including economic empowerment, healthcare, refugee and immigration policy, education, and emergency strategies among others. 

This report offers a snapshot of the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on displaced LGBTQI+ individuals seeking resettlement, due to the closure of borders, pausing of resettlement acceptances, and travel between countries. It includes an analysis of current literature on COVID-19 responses, as well as interviews with human rights workers representing civil society organizations working at the frontline of the COVID-19 response. The report concludes with four policy recommendations including: 1) Uphold the right to asylum during COVID-19, 2) Resume the resettlement of LGBTQI refugees, 3) Release LGBTQI asylum seekers being held in detention centres, and  4) Increase resources dedicated to supporting LGBTQI refugees. 

This fact sheet by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights discusses intersex issues from a global human rights perspective, including a list of action points for states, media, and individuals. 

Queer Kanyen’kehá:ka author and educator Marie Laing spoke with 10 young trans, queer and two-spirit Indigenous people in Toronto in fall 2017, as part of the research for her Master’s thesis. They had conversations about how they use the term two-spirit, how it’s related to other words they use to describe their genders, sexualities, and ways of being in the world, and the brilliance of their communities. Laing made her thesis into a zine to be accessible to the community members.