TORONTO, ON (November 23, 2016) – On Saturday, November 19, 2016, over 250 members and allies of the LGBTTIQQ2S community filled Toronto’s award-winning Integral House to enjoy an evening of celebration and performances in support of Community One Foundation. Hosted by Canadian comedian Carla Collins and sponsored by RBC and Team PK, the evening was a decadent affair, complemented by custom Bar Chef cocktails and gourmet delights.

VIP guests arrived at 6:30 p.m. and were treated to an exclusive tour of Integral House by Brigitte Shim of Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, along with performances by the world-renowned Opera Atelier. At 7:30 p.m., the event opened to the public and showcased a variety of performances from Community One Foundation Rainbow Grant recipient Tessa Goodon and popular Toronto drag artists Sofonda Cox and Donnarama.

In addition, the foundation awarded the winner of their annual Steinert & Ferreiro Award, Canada’s largest single cash award in recognition of leadership in the LGBTTIQQ2S community, to Toronto-based advocate Doug Kerr. Kerr was chosen for his commitment to volunteerism, social activism along with his steadfast ability to drive collaboration across a multitude of initiatives in both a Toronto and global context.

“Our foundation’s main objective is to support and foster growth throughout LGBTTIQQ2S communities in the greater Toronto area,” says Community One Foundation co-chair Terry Greene. “Events like these help us spotlight the amazing individuals and initiatives that we continue to recognize with grants and awards throughout the calendar year.”

Community One Foundation is one of many charitable organizations that Integral House’s builder James Stewart (late mathematician and textbook magnate) has donated proceeds to. A longtime LGBT activist, Stewart planted roots in the community by inviting “gay rights activist George Hislop to speak at McMaster in the early 1970s, when the LGBT liberation movement was in its infancy, and was involved in protests and demonstrations until mathematics began to dominate his life.” (Daily Xtra, 2014).

For more information, photos from the evening or interview requests, please contact:

Cory Stewart | Embrace Disruption PR

p: 647.638.1586 | e: cory@embracedisruption.com

About Community One:

Established in 1980, Community One Foundation provides grants to LGBTTIQQ2S community projects in Greater Toronto Area including Durham, Halton, Peel and York Regions, focusing on the areas of arts and culture, health and social services, and research and education. The Foundation also promotes community philanthropy through strategic partnerships such as the Bill 7 Award and the LGBT Giving Network.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommunityOneFoundation/

Twitter: @C1Foundation

Instagram: @C1Foundation

Hashtag: #CommunityOne

Foundation supports upcoming community projects with the help of Royal Bank of Canada and individual donors.

TORONTO, ON (May 17, 2016) -­‐ On the evening of Thursday, May 12, 2016, Community One Foundation held a celebratory reception at The 519 (519 Church St., Toronto) to present 13 recipients with their 2016 Rainbow Grants. The Rainbow Grant program, which began in 1980, is one of many foundation initiatives supporting the LGBTTIQQ2S community, funded through donations from individual donors and corporate partners.

For over thirty years, Rainbow Grants have helped nurture the early days of many Greater Toronto LGBTTIQQ2S community initiatives, grassroots projects, established organizations and one-off projects. The Grants are awarded in three different tiers; General (up to $1,000) for projects or people that are not a part of an organization, charity or corporation, Foundation (between $3,000 ‐ $5,000), and the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Community Award of $10,000 (donated by RBC).

• Newcomer Women’s Services of Toronto ‐ Kyle Rae Award ‐ a fusion project which will create queer‐positive ESL curricula for newcomers with the intent to train 10 LTGBQI+ newcomer youth to research global Queer history, and collaborate with ESL instructors to develop ESL curricula for Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada.

• Native Women in the Arts, in partnership with Tities Wîcinímintôwak // Bluejays Dancing Together : Living Legacies: Two-Spirit Stories ‐ RBC Community Award ‐ a series of art workshops and a final exhibition that  centres the stories of Two‐Spirit communities in Toronto. Each workshop will provide opportunities to develop things like ideas, feelings and stories  that they will be able to share with others if they so choose.

• Black Lives Matter (Freedom School) ‐ a three-week-long summer program for children aged 4–10. The purpose of this project is to respond to a lack of humanizing, self‐affirming, queer‐positive educational opportunities for black children in the GTA.

• QUAKE, Tessa Gooden (Original EP) ‐ recording, production and release of an original EP album by local artist, Tessa Gooden.

• Outsport (Website Redesign) ‐ to develop their Toronto website into a mobile‐focused and youth‐targeted initiative. This will allow for the LGBTTIQQ2S community in the GTA to remain informed of upcoming queer‐friendly sporting events and the community’s various sport leagues.

• Festival Franco Fierté (Pride Month Events) ‐ a series of events during Toronto Pride month, including Francophone shows, concerts, photo exhibitions, cultural tours of the village and a stage at the Pride Toronto event.

• Inside Out (LGBTQ Film & Cultural Programming) ‐ to provide LGBTQ film and cultural programming, working in partnership with arts, service and community organizations, seniors/long term care residences, and TDSB schools, to under‐served neighbourhoods with little to no LGBTQ programming. The project provides films, culture, discussions, resources, and community connections to LGBTQ individuals in their own communities.

• Lemontree Creations (Staging of upcoming play, The Body Politic) ‐ a play documenting Canadian queer history as it re‐imagines the story of the birth, existence and eventual demise of one of Canada’s seminal queer publications, The Body Politic.

• ACE RADIO (Toronto’s asexual community’s broadcast initiative on Radio Regent) ‐ engaging 20 diverse participants (ages 18+) in producing a monthly (nine‐part) digital broadcast about issues impacting asexual communities. As a result, vulnerable young people will gain transferable broadcast skills like technical equipment training, while practicing communication, teamwork, leadership, and critical thinking through participatory media making.

• AIDS Committee of Durham (LGBTQ Youth of Colour Program) ‐ a yearlong pilot project with the goal of creating a strong sense of community among LGTBQ+ Youth Of Colour (YOC) along with providing them with HIV prevention education and safer sex practices.

• SAGA Collectif ‐ for support of outreach initiatives in relation to their project, Black Boys, which is an innovative and multidisciplinary theatrical event that unpacks the lived experience of three Black queer men in pursuit of an emancipated Black imagination. Black Boys will be co‐produced at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre in 2016.

• Asian Community AIDS Services (Multilingual Transgender Resources for Asian Parents and Families) ‐ to decrease challenges Asian families and Transgender youth face when youth come out, this program plans to develop culturally- and linguistically-appropriate educational resources as tools to increase parents’ understanding and acceptance of their child’s gender identity. The resources will be translated to seven Asian languages and distributed in print and online.

• Egale Canada Human Rights Trust (Grandfamily Project) ‐ a documentary project will tell the story of a queer couple searching to adopt an LGBTTIQQ2S elder into their family to be the grandparent of their soon‐to‐be‐born child. As the due date of the pregnancy nears, they must figure out how to access Toronto’s often-isolated queer elders, finding someone who fits into their family and is up for the commitment. In the process they must confront generational differences in the LGBTTIQQ2S community, build trust, face the possibility of disappointment, and reckon with their own family histories.

“We are delighted to present this year’s Rainbow Grants to such a diverse group of communities in the areas of education, health, human rights, arts, culture, research and advocacy,” said Community One Co‐ Chair Terry Greene. “Each year, our allocation committee remains dedicated to awarding recipients in these sectors to create a demonstrable impact on the broader community.”

Past recipients of Rainbow Grants include organizations such as Inside Out, AIDS Committee of Toronto, LGBT Youth Line and the 519 Community Centre.

For more information, photos or interview requests, please contact:

Cory Stewart | Embrace Disruption PR

cory@embracedisruption.com

o: 416.963.9857 c: 647.638.1586

About Community One:

Established in 1980, Community One Foundation provides grants to LGBTTIQQ2S community projects in Greater Toronto Area including Durham, Halton, Peel and York Regions, focusing on the areas of arts and culture, health and social services, and research and education. The Foundation also promotes community philanthropy through strategic partnerships such as the Bill 7 Award and the LGBT Giving Network.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommunityOneFoundation/

Twitter: @C1Foundation

About RBC:

Royal Bank of Canada is Canada’s largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full‐ and part‐time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 37 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2015, we contributed more than $121 million to causes around the world.

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) will examine LGBTQ+ censorship, resulting from the “Hays Code,” in an exhibit compiled of silver screen films and memorabilia.

TORONTO, ON. (January 27, 2015) – Sissy stereotypes, same-sex interaction and subtext will all come to the forefront in the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives’ new exhibition, Code, Read. Code, Read will see the CLGA’s gallery present four film screenings, along with a collection of film ephemera from 1930 to 1968. This free exhibit is open to the general public beginning February 8, 2015 at the CLGA (34 Isabella St., Toronto).

As films of the 1920s and 30s grew more sophisticated, and as Depression-era audiences dwindled, there was increasing demand for more controversial characters. The hitherto harmless sissy was offset both by more complex queer figures and by more scandalous stereotypes. Debates subsequently arose about the negative effect that Hollywood cinema, and its questionable morals, might have upon society as a whole.

In response, the Motion Picture Production Code, or Hays Code, put in place a series of censorship guidelines by which the production of indecent or immoral filmic content would be restricted. The institution of the Hays Code heralded the end of the sissy – and his more complex counterparts – in popular cinema, and the beginning of more reserved queer characters whose true nature was necessarily buried by subtext and innuendo. Between 1930 and 1968, a span that encompassed Hollywood’s Golden Age of film production, queer characters were either obscured through ambiguity or else written out entirely from Hollywood films. Alternatively, since the Hays Code was willing to allow “sexual perversion” if depicted in a negative light, queer characters who remained in the picture were presented as a series of unflattering stereotypes: murderous villains, suicidal misfits, farcical fairies, or sexual rebels in need of reform.

“The CLGA is proud to welcome audiences to explore an important and highly formative part of cinematic and popular history through this part-exhibition, part-mini film fest. The content of screens – film, TV, the Internet – has been a persistent subject of social debate, with LGBTQ lives and stories frequently taking leading roles,” says CLGA vice president Wil Craddock. “Antagonistic ideals around issues of morality and decency have often demonized LGBTQ representations, pushing for their censorship or promoting the picturing of negative attributes and story lines around queer people. These films offer a compelling (and rare) glimpse into the early queer heyday and subsequent queerphobia of early Hollywood. They comprise a fascinating part of historical mainstream perceptions of LGBTQ people.”

Public can attend Code, Read screenings at the following dates and times. Please note seating is limited and first-come, first-served:

Sunday, February 8, 2015 

Drama Queens

Cost: Free

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Films to be shown:

Salomé (1923) Dir. Charles Bryant, 74 min. silent

Tea and Sympathy (1956) Dir. Vincente Minnelli, 122 min.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Funny Business

Cost: Free

7:00 p.m.

Films to be shown:

A Florida Enchantment (1914) Dir. Gladys Rankin, 63 min. silent

Some Like it Hot (1959) Dir. Billy Wilder, 132 min.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Thrills and Chills

Cost: Free

7:00 p.m.

Dracula’s Daughter (1936) Dir. Lambert Hillyer, 71 min

Rope (1948) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 80 min.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

So Bad It’s Good: B Movies and Queer Cult Classics

Cost: Free

7:00 p.m.

Sex In Chains (1928) Dir. William Dieterle, 107 min. silent

Glen or Glenda (1953) Dir. Ed Wood, 65 min.

For media accreditation, photos or interview requests, please contact:

Cory Stewart | Embrace Disruption PR

p: 647.638.1586 | e: cory@embracedisruption.com

About the CLGA:

The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) is the largest independent LGBTQ+ archives in the world. With a focus on Canadian content, the CLGA acquires, preserves and provides public access to information and materials in any medium. By collecting and securing important historical records, publications, magazines, newspapers, photos, films and other paraphernalia, the CLGA cares for LGBTQ+ histories now and for generations to come.

Website: http://www.clga.ca

Facebook: CLGArchives

Twitter: @CLGArchives

Tumblr: CanadianLesbianandGayArchives.tumblr.com

YouTube: bit.ly/1eAg4mB

Critically acclaimed photo exhibit “BUTCH: Not like the other girls” arrives in Toronto

Renowned artist SD Holman brings solo show to Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives as part of North American tour.

TORONTO, ON (October 6, 2014) – Beauty, power and diversity in female masculinity are explored in the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives’ (34 Isabella St.) newest hosted exhibition, BUTCH: Not like the other girls, arriving in Toronto on November 6, 2014 as part of the show’s North American tour.

BUTCH: Not like the other girls debuted as a public art project in transit shelters around Vancouver, Canada, in March 2013, with a simultaneous gallery show at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre (The Cultch). According to Cultch administrators, the opening night – which attracted over 500 patrons – was the largest art opening in their 35 years of operation. The project went viral on the internet, leading to touring exhibitions across the continent. The exhibition catalogue was released by Shooting Gallery Publications in Spring 2014, and is available at bookstores in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“We are very excited to bring Butch: Not like the other girls to the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives,” says CLGA vice president William Craddock. “SD Holman’s photographs document, explore and celebrate a myriad of sexual identities and gender expression – visibility that is important to the richness of our communities today and the diversity of our histories for the future. We hope that Toronto audiences will enjoy this exhibition as much as it has been revered at its debut in Vancouver.”

BUTCH is a photographic exploration of the liminal spaces occupied by female masculinity in contemporary queer communities. Holman delineates Butch as “an inclusive site of resistance to limitations on the way women, gender, and sexuality are still defined.” The images honour the beauty, power and diversity of women who transgress the gender binary, with subjects reflecting the many sizes, shapes, ethnicities, and styles of Butch. The transversal dialectic of female masculinity is celebrated here — unapologetic and undiluted.

BUTCH: Not like the other girls opens on Thursday, November 6, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. with a public wine and cheese reception. The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives is located at 34 Isabella Street in Toronto.

For more information, high-res images or to book a media tour, please contact:

Cory Stewart, Embrace Disruption PR

e: cory@embracedisruption.com

p: 416.963.9857

About SD Holman:

A native of Los Angeles, SD Holman is a photo-based artist and Artistic Director of The Queer Arts Festival, an artist-run three-week, multidisciplinary arts festival in Vancouver, BC. Recipient of the 2014 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in Arts and Culture, one of Canada’s most prestigious awards. Hailed by Photographer Guy Warrington as “the best portrait photographer in Vancouver,”Holman’s exhibition venues include Wellesley College (MA), the Advocate Gallery (Los Angeles), the Soady-Campbell Gallery (New York), the San Francisco Public Library, The Helen Pitt International Gallery, Charles H. Scott, Exposure, Gallery Gachet, Vancouver East Cultural Centre, Artropolis, and Fotobase Galleries (Vancouver). Holman’s project BUTCH: Not like the other girls is currently touring North America, and has been published by Shooting Gallery Publications.

About the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives:

The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) is the largest independent LGBTQ+ archives in the world. With a focus on Canadian content, the CLGA acquires, preserves and provides public access to information and materials in any medium. By collecting and securing important historical records, publications, magazines, newspapers, photos, films and other paraphernalia, the CLGA cares for LGBTQ+ histories now and for generations to come.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CLGArchives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CLGArchives

Tumblr: http://canadianlesbianandgayarchives.tumblr.com

YouTube: http://bit.ly/1eAg4mB

TORONTO, ON (May 7, 2014) – As Toronto gears up to host WorldPride 2014, the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) celebrates with a series of public programs that shed light on LGBTQ human rights, identities and histories from around the world. The organization’s WorldPride lineup includes an art exhibition entitled Imaging Home: Resistance, Migration, Contradiction; a historical walking tour in partnership with Heritage Toronto and many other community displays and activities.

The CLGA’s official WorldPride 2014 exhibition, Imaging Home: Resistance, Migration, Contradiction, brings together documentary video and photographic work that explores the experiences of LGBTQ individuals living in oppressive regions around the globe. Works from Uganda, Kenya, Guyana, the Caribbean, India and Toronto are pieced together to tell a compelling story about the challenge of envisioning human rights at home – wherever that home is. Additionally, viewers are able to participate in the exhibition by adding their own photos to the collection as part of a growing “global family photo album.” Imaging Home: Resistance, Migration, Contradiction is a joint project of the CLGA and the international project, Envisioning Global LGBT Human Rights. A complimentary opening reception will take place at the CLGA (34 Isabella St.) on Tuesday June 24, 2014 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“With the addition of photographs and videos that deal with the theme of ‘home’, we hope to draw attention to the many issues experienced locally and internationally,” says CLGA curator, Karen Stanworth. “WorldPride is not just a celebration, but also an opportunity to think about the ongoing crises affecting individuals around the globe.”

Residents and visitors to Toronto are also able to experience a variety of community displays and events presented by the CLGA across the city including:

• A small show of selected work entitled “Queer and Muslim: Finding Peace Within Islam” by Samra Habib. Also opening on June 24 at the CLGA (34 Isabella St).

• A WorldPride display at the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge St.) opening mid May, featuring items from the CLGA’s collections such as posters from early Pride parades and picnics and scans from periodicals and pulp fiction.

• A WorldPride display at Toronto City Hall (100 Queen St. W.) opening June 21, 2014, presenting several timelines of significant LGBTQ communities and events including parenting, the bathhouse raids, marriage equality and more.

• Pride Walk: Discovering Toronto’s LGBTQ Heritage from June 20 – June 27, 2014, (a partnership initiative  between the CLGA and Heritage Toronto) features 90 minute historical walking tours of the Church-Wellesley village, inclusive of The Toronto Aids Memorial, The Barn, Glad Day Books, the CLGA and many other notable destinations. Scheduling and tickets ($20) are available by visiting http://heritagetoronto.org.

• In-house tours of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (34 Isabella St.) from June 25 to June 30, 2014. Visitors can drop in during the WorldPride hours (listed below) to view the CLGA facilities and collection.

The CLGA’s WorldPride hours are June 25-26 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., June 27 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and June 28 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For a full schedule of events and programming offered by the CLGA, please visit http://www.clga.ca/worldpride-clga.

About the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives:

The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (CLGA) is the largest independent LGBTQ+ archives in the world. With a focus on Canadian content, the CLGA acquires, preserves and provides public access to information and archival materials in any medium. By collecting and caring for important historical records, personal papers, unpublished documents, publications, audio-visual material, works of art, photographs, posters, and other artifacts, the CLGA is a trusted guardian of LGBTQ+ histories now and for generations to come.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CLGArchives

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CLGArchives

Tumblr: http://canadianlesbianandgayarchives.tumblr.com

YouTube: http://bit.ly/1eAg4mB

For more information, high-res images or to book a media tour, please contact:

Cory Stewart, Embrace Disruption PR

e: cory@embracedisruption.com

p: 416.963.9857

-or-

Danielle Volpe, Embrace Disruption PR

e: danielle@embracedisruption.com

p: 416.963.9857

Over the past 41 years the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives have collected an array of audio recordings covering a variety of topics and styles. Interviews, radio shows, music, protests and home recordings have all been donated to the CLGArchives. Beginning  on February 21 at 6 p.m. and ending on February 22 at 6 p.m. the tapes will be broadcasted continuously for the 24 hour period. Many of these tapes have not been heard in decades and they document extraordinary material from well-known figures and some from ordinary community members.Throughout the broadcast each tape will be digitized and cataloged in attempts of preservation.

This is a free event being put on by the CLGArchives and are three ways to listen to the experience in real time:

1. Visit shops and restaurants along Church St. where the audio will be played.

2. Visit the CLGArchives at 34 Isabella St. where you can experience the tapes as a group. Coffee and tea will be provided.

3. Listen at any location with at http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/listen

For more information please visit the Facebook event page or the CLGArchives website.

We’re taking a break from our regular Film Friday programming to bring you a video parody, created by Tony Mono, that sheds light on Russia’s severe anti-gay laws.

Today marks the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics at Sochi, and we certainly can’t think of a more positive way to show support for the LGBTQIA community in Russia and around the world.

 ”When people are forbidden from expressing their love, something is definitely going wrong. Let your voices be heard against hate and let love be free. Love for whoever you want. Fighting for this unalienable right is not just an issue for gay people but for us all. Please give a thumbs up and share this video if you agree. Spread the message!”

- Tony Mono