2SLGBTQ+ organizations report decline in funding [0:00-5:02]

It is Pride Month, and while a lot of companies change their logos or add rainbows to their stores, the question is, does that support extend into corporate boardrooms? Here to talk about allyship and some of the challenges being faced by the community right now is activist Biles Sexton. Welcome. Thanks for having me. All right, happy Pride Month. Let's begin on the positives. We do see this inclusion with big rainbows everywhere. Yeah, it's exciting to see the city starting to transform. I was a good excited for June 1st to see all the rainbows start coming out. Right, and of course the flag goes up at City Hall. But is there meat behind that, do you think? From a visibility standpoint, it's always great because it can be a conversation starter. When we see the rainbow and people can ask questions about why the rainbows are going up or the flag is being raised, but I think that's the first step in this conversation around diversity and inclusion when it comes to gender identities and sexualities. I mean, south of the border, we've all been seeing a real change in when we talk about diversity when we talk about these sort of things. Do you think that has moved north of the border? Oh my gosh. I mean, we've been feeling it as soon as you took office. I think, unfortunately, I think it gave a lot of permission to spread a lot more hate or misinformation that exists out there. And I'm feeling it as a queer, non-binary person working in Canada. I'm feeling the impacts of that a lot and seeing also the impacts. Just specifically when we look at Alberta and the rollback of policies that are happening there. And so you feel that? Can you describe that a little bit for me? Yeah, I think from an income level, I'm seeing a lot less organizations and brands wanting to partner with me and other people within our community. I'm seeing a lot less funding that happens. I work with a lot of charities and nonprofits with me partnering with Canada Helps. And we've seen that we've lost a third of their donors across the country for a lot of these charities. And that has huge impacts. That's less help lines being answered. That's less access to service and care. These charities are providing for many members of the 2S LGBTQAA plus community. Yeah, we're so we're feeling it. Talk about Canada Helps a little bit. Yeah, I mean, Canada Helps is an incredible platform and organization that really helps you have access to 85,000 different charities across the country. So not just like LGBT charities, but any type of charitable work that happens. And you can access it through their website and to create like if you want to give a donation, or even just learn about different organizations that exist out there in the work that they're doing. Yeah, Canada Helps is just such a great platform for that. When we talk about the sort of pull back that you're seeing and then juxtapose that with obviously the flags, I mean, I'm wondering how you square that in your mind. Do you think you look at it and think I don't know if that's really truly representative of what's going on? Yeah, I mean, because that's I think this is where a lot of the conversation comes in around like rainbow washing. Right? It's like yes, you can put a flag up, you can change your logo. But like are you doing internal like you know, lunch and learns? Are you doing internal trainings? How are you changing the work environments that are that you maybe have that allow more space for, you know, like your LGBT staff members within the organization? So I think there's just like there's so many levels to it. You know, it's like yes, the flag is really great, but how are we also doing the work? How are we trying to create safer spaces for people and positive change and also educating people? Because I think again, we're all on our phones. We're accessing random algorithm information that is given to us. Right? So how do we then, you know, maybe take that a bit further like actually giving the data or the teaching that are that are correct? All right. Well, it's blue sky for me because if we thought 10 years ago, you know, where the changes have been. Yeah, maybe yeah, maybe positive, maybe negative. Tell me 10 years from now, where would you like the community to be? Well, what do you think concrete needs to change in 10 years? Yeah, I think it's just more from like a social awareness piece. You know, I think the 2S LGBTQ A plus is such a big acronym. There's so many diverse communities within that acronym. You know, so I hope that in 10 years that I think the general population will have like a baseline education around all of those members of our community and how they're just trying to live their lives and you know, and see a lot more sort of acceptance. And then also I think just understanding the importance that, you know, these are still minority groups within the community and like the funding that's needed to help support, you know, these groups so that we can sort of live our lives so like on a same level as everyone else, it's still like a, it's still a big issue and just wanting equal rights. You know, the fact that our rights can still be taken away at times, you know, when we look at trans rights and Alberta being taken away, it's just like that happened really quick within almost a year. And so that can be really scary, you know, and I think a lot of people don't understand the fear sort of behind that. So I hope in 10 years we can get it. The fear can be gone. Yeah. And that sense that the hard one rights won't be taken away.