Three of Carleton University Students’ Association’s (CUSA) service centres are collaborating to host QuTies of Colour from Oct. 16-30.
The week-long series of events aims to highlight the voices of Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC), and Muslims who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Gowlene Selvavijayan, the Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Hall’s (REC Hall) administrative coordinator, said it’s important to dedicate a week to voices that tend to be overlooked.
“Spaces meant for us are white-dominated,” she said. “It’s very important to have a week where we centre our stories, our culture.”
Harar Hall, the programming coordinator of the Womxn’s Centre, said QuTies of Colour reverses a queer narrative that is “often either incredibly [exclusionary] to BIPOC people or tokenizes their presence.”
“These events have been created not only to highlight the presence of BIPOC people within the queer and trans community, but also to show that we can create spaces that feel like community and feel like home,” they said.
The week consists of four events, including a scavenger hunt, a night out at a local bar, and a panel featuring Carleton students, alumni, and professionals who are queer, trans, and/or two-spirit and also Black, Indigenous, Muslim, or people of colour.
“Even if you’re not a queer or trans person of colour, to be in that space and to listen to our voices is very important,” Selvavijayan said.
Joanna Zebib, programming coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Resource Centre (GSRC) who spearheaded the week, said the events focus on meeting new people, but also give them the chance to have their voices heard.
“Some events are more about community-building, finding folks that you can relate to, and networking and building friendships,” they said. “Other events are purely for giving BIPOC folks the chance to sit there and have white folks [listen] to their experiences.”
All of the events are open to non-BIPOC people aside from “The Art of Never Coming-out,” a closed conversation that invites queer people of colour to discuss the idea of coming out in their communities.
“That’s just going to be a healing space,” Zebib said. “It’s a space where BIPOC folks can have a breather, and just sit there and talk and vent about [their] experiences.”
Jess Clow, a first-year global and international studies student, said the week is representative of the diversity on campus.
“School, especially university, is such a vital time for people to find themselves and [to] feel comfortable where they are,” she said. “It’s very empowering for people to feel seen and represented in their school community.”
Photo by Jasmine Foong
