Queer Inclusion

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  Services for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community

  The Vancouver Park Board and Community Centre Associations are actively working to improve support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community by:

  • Offering weekly swimming, fitness, and social programs for Two-Spirit, Trans, and Gender Diverse (2STGD) people of all ages.
  • Activating 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive programs and events throughout the city.
  • Marking our washrooms and change rooms as safe spaces for gender diverse people.
  • Offering programs in spaces exclusively reserved for 2STGD people and their friends and families.
  • Providing financial assistance for residents with low-incomes, including specific low-barrier access for 2STGD people in recognition of the extra challenges presented by name and identification changes.
  • Employing staff who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ and can provide support and resources targeted to the needs of this community.

Our progress

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  Background

  In 2013, the Park Board established the Trans* and Gender Variant Inclusion. The group worked with the community and staff to identify barriers and take action to increase access to park and recreation services. The resulting report identified 77 recommendations that would improve the safety and belonging of 2STGD people in parks and recreation spaces, in the following areas:

  • Public space
  • Signage
  • Programming
  • Financial accessibility
  • Forms and literature
  • Human resources and training
  • Community partners
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  Building a Path to Parks and Recreation for All report

  The work done in the past, based on the Building a Path to Parks and Recreation for All PDF file (3 MB), has led to the Park Board creating two new full time city-wide Recreation Programmer positions in 2022. One with a broad focus on 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion to be filled by a queer person and a second with a narrower focus on 2STGD inclusion to be filled by a person who identifies as a member of that community.

  The queer Inclusion team will collaborate with staff throughout the city to increase the 2STGD-accessible programs, and will be refreshing employee training, developing more education materials for the public, and engaging with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community for an updated understanding of their barriers and needs in the realm of parks, leisure, and recreation programming.

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  Two-Spirit Pre-Pride Social

  With the guidance of the Vancouver LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee, the TGD2S team organized the first two-spirit community feast and gathering.

  The Two-Spirit Pre-Pride Social was a celebration of community and culture to kick off the 2018 pride season. In the spirit of reconciliation, this event aimed to foster engagement and meaningful dialogue between the two-spirit community, the City of Vancouver, and the Vancouver Park Board.

  

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  Washroom signs

  Following extensive consultation with the community a new washroom sign design guideline has been developed. The gender diverse people welcome tagline aims to encourage those outside the gender binary to feel safe and welcome in all Park Board washrooms and change spaces. The new signs will be up in all community centres by the end of 2019.

  In compliance with the BC Human Rights Code, folks accessing Park Board facilities are encouraged to use the washroom or change room that they feel most comfortable using. Harassment and transphobia will not be tolerated.

Get involved

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  Volunteering with us

  2SLGBTQ+ Committee

  The mandate of the 2SLGBTQ+ Committee is to advise City Council and staff on enhancing access and inclusion for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse and queer communities to fully participate in City services and civic life.

  The current committee will end its term on November 6, 2022.

  Learn more about this committee

  Find another agency, board, or committee

  2SLGBTQIA+ people can be involved in discussions shaping our city on a broad range of topics. Connect with other Vancouver residents in groups working on topics within these areas:

  • Arts, culture, and recreation
  • People and communities
  • Planning, zoning, and development

  Learn more about our agencies, boards, and committees

  Community centres 

  Many of Vancouver’s community centres are operated in collaboration with a Community Centre Association (CCA). CCAs will have a board of directors and other volunteer and paid positions for people interested in serving their neighbourhood and community.  

  Find a list of community centres

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  Working at the City

  We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that represents the community we so proudly serve. Indigenous applicants, people of colour, all genders, 2SLGBTQIA+, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

  Accommodations will be provided upon request during the selection process. Learn more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion

  Review current job postings

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  Resources

  Qmunity External website, opens in new tab

  QMUNITY is a non-profit organization based in Vancouver that works to improve queer, trans, and two-spirit lives. We provide a safer space for LGBTQ/2S people and their allies to fully self-express while feeling welcome and included. Our building serves as a catalyst for community initiatives and collective strength.

  Queer Arts Festival External website, opens in new tab

  The Pride in Art Society (PiA) produces, presents, and exhibits with a vision favouring challenging, thought-provoking work that pushes boundaries and initiates dialogue, including through the Queer Arts Festival, an annual, professional, artist-run, multidisciplinary festival and new year-round SUM Gallery in the heart Chinatown.

  PiA brings diverse communities together to support artistic risk-taking, incite creative collaboration and experimentation, and celebrate the rich heritage of queer artists and art. We harness the power of the arts to inspire recognition, respect, and visibility of people who transgress gender and sexual norms.

  Trans Care BC External website, opens in new tab

  Trans Care BC is a BC-wide information service and resource hub. We work to make sure people have the information they need to access gender- affirming health care and supports. Our services support those who identify as trans, two-spirit and gender diverse, their families, friends, and loved ones as well as service providers.

  • Trans Care BC Facebook External website, opens in new tab
  • Trans Care BC service directory External website, opens in new tab

  Trans Day of Visibility Guide PDF file (2 MB)

  Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) External website, opens in new tab

  UNYA's 2-Spirit Collective provides support, resources, and programming for Indigenous youth, ages 15 to 30, who identify as 2-spirit or LGBTQ+, and for those who are questioning their sexual or gender identities.

  The 2-Spirit Collective ensures that you have non-judgmental, supportive spaces to get together and explore your identities and what that mean to you. We do this through events, ceremony, workshops, and collaborations with other programs, both at UNYA and with other organizations in the community.