Queering Black History Month

On February 28, 2011, activist Lali Mohamed organized the first event of its kind at any Canadian University; Queering Black History Month. Through a panel discussion and photography exhibit, Queering Black History Month aimed to re-insert the lives, experiences and achievements of queer and trans African, Black and Caribbean people i...n Canada, the diaspora and on the continent into the discussions of Black History. Over 200 people gathered at Ryerson University to listen to these inspiring stories of strength, tenacity, resiliency and community.

Deviant Productions Copyrights 2011.

[MUSIC: Armabd Van Helden, "U Don't Know Me", high energy house music...]

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[LaLi Mohamed, Event Organizer]

One of the psychologically crippling things growing up,

sort of the wound that never healed,

was that I always read and heard stories

about people who didn't look like me.

People who lived in other bodies.

And I thought to myself,

"well if I'm not a wriiten about people,

if I'm not a story people,

am I a people?"

And so I searched and I searched and I searched

and I realized that there is such a rich and dynamic history

of queer and trans people in Canada, in Africa, in the Caribbean,

and I thought this isn't being shared enough.

My name is Rodney Diverlus

I'm the vice president equity for the Ryerson Student's Union,

uh, which is a central student's union here at Ryerson University.

Um, I was approached by Lali in the fall

with a concept and an idea to do this event

and I gladly joined on board.

Uh, we at the Student's Union, uh, we represent all 24,000 students here at Ryerson,

many of which are, uh, black, racialized students,

and many of which are queer students,

uh and we really strive to create spaces to talk about struggles and, uh, the way that, yknow,

uh, racism, sexism, uh, queerphobia, and different forms of oppression

uh, affect students, but affect community members.

Founded by 3 Jamaicans and a Grenadian.

3 lesbians and a gay man.

Around a kitchen table, West End, Toronto.

I'm calling names:

Makeda Silvera, writer.

Stephanie Martin, artist

Went on to found Sister Vision Press,

Canada's first black women and women of colour press.

Calling names:

Debbie Douglas, E.D. of OCASI [Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants]

And Douglas Stewart, human rights and equity consultant.

Created what they needed, a space for connection and support.

A space for black and West Indian,

we were old school then, clearly not yet Caribbean, fully.

Lesbian and gays.

A space for strategizing,

to challenge homophobia and heterosexism

we found within black communities.

The racism we experienced within mainstream (read "white") gay community,

and the isms that played out between us.

It was 1983/84

My name is Courtnay McFarlane, and today on Queering Black History

I, um, I talked a little bit about my history of activism

and community involvement in black queer organizing in Toronto.

My name is Syrus Marcus Ware [Program Coordinator, AGO]

and I was presenting today about black trans history in Toronto,

black trans organizing in a broader sense.

I was talking about, a little bit about the history of black trans people in

starting the gay liberation movement,

because it was black trans people, black trans women in specific, specifically,

who started the Compton's cafeteria riot in 1966,

the Stonewall riot in 1969

upon which, yknow, the Pride festival is held on that weekend and anniversary.

One of the first, uh, people to ever get sex reassignment surgery in North America

was a black trans woman named Delisa Newton in 1966.

And then, um, yeah, just thinking about what it means to, uh, develop an actual archive

of black trans history within Toronto, within trans organizing, black queer organizing.

Thinking about some of the great stuff that's happened here in Toronto

related to, yknow, trans people involved in Blockorama,

trans people starting the first trans parenting course in North America,

developing the first sexual health resource for trans men who have sex with men,

in the world.

That happened by black trans people right here out of Toronto.

[Rinaldo Walcott, Associate Professor and Chair, OISE]

So some years ago in an extremely exuberant mood,

I wrote that Toronto was one of the best places

to witness black queer diaspora in all its forcefulness.

My claim was buttressed by the now-defunct GLAD, Gays and Lesbians of African Descent

marching in the Pride parade.

?, and Blackness Yes! Blockoparty.

Those three events or happenings signal a particular kind of black political outness,

and a taking up of space by black queers in Toronto,

and thus Canada, that marked a new time for black queer life in this city and country.

[Patrice Anderson, AIDS Committee of Durham Region]

My name is Patrice Anderson, I represent the AIDS Committee of Durham Region.

It's really important that as black people we know about our history first of all,

in the LGBTQ community and

like the panelists have said, there aren't any archives that are available,

and it helps me in my work as well to find out, you know,

where do we come from?

Where are we going?

And where are we gonna end up?

[Aemilius Ramirez, Community Member]

There's been a lot of people ahead of us

paving the way for us to be able to stand here today, um, embracing our identities.

The least we could do at this point with all the access that we have

to, to archiving and documenting and making sure that our history is known...

[Notisha Massaquoi, E.D., Women's Health in Women's Hands Health Centre]

Simon Nkoli, as I came to learn, was arrested for his anti-apartheid activism,

and spent 4 years in jail.

He was openly queer during that period.

He went on to ensure that in South Africa

the rights of the LGBT community were enshrined in the constitution,

and so we now have one country in Africa

that ensures that gays and lesbians, trans, queer, bi community members

have human rights protection.

My talk was really about

how do we insert the story of continental Africans

who are here in Canada, and globally working together,

into the story of black queer organizing?

And I really felt that it often gets left out,

when it was very much an integral part of

a lot of the organizing that was happening here in the black community.

[OmiSoore Dryden, Community Member]

Having been at all of the Pride tomfoolery, fuckery, that's been going on, uh,

to be at Queering Black History Month has been refreshing and rejuvenating.

Um, it reminds me, uh, that I'm not crazy, quite frankly.

Where I get to speak with other people about the realities of racism in, uh, Toronto queer communities.

[Gwen Bartleman, Community Member]

I came to Toronto in 1981,

so it was really important for me to remember,

to come back and remember, um,

people that were in the room,

people that weren't necessarily in the room.

But I think for me, um, as a white butch dyke activist,

what's most important for me

is to be in these spaces to learn and to continue to learn

and to be reminded about how much more I have to learn,

because that's my personal celebration.

I'll say, tonight was historical.

Because it was the first time the university grappled

and talked bluntly and eloquently and honestly

about our lives.

Our lives that for so long had been considered problematic.

You know? We have been social problems for so long,

and amidst the racism and homophobia and transphobia

there is, you know, a really bright and beautiful light shone

on our lives.

[MUSIC: Armabd Van Helden, "U Don't Know Me", high energy house music, fades out...]