Many Projects Planned for Transgender Concordia This Year
Offshoot Club of Queer Concordia Looking to Create a Safe Space on Campus
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In response to what they believe to be a critical need within Concordia University, Transgender Concordia—in partnership with Queer Concordia—is launching the Gender Empowerment Fund, a project conceived by board members at the beginning of last year and in development since November 2014.
The fund employs Come As You Are, a sex shop based in Toronto, Ont. In recognition of the costly nature of many necessities for transgender students, such as binders, stand-to-pee devices and packers, the Gender Empowerment Fund will partially or fully subsidize the purchase of these
items for students, in the hopes of encouraging students to feel safe and supported within the university.
Ché Baines, a member of Transgender Concordia, told The Link that one of the objectives of the club is to make the university more of a safe space, the fund being one of the first steps to achieving that end.
“A goal for this year is to make tangible project,” said Luiza Albernaz, another member of Queer Concordia. “[We want] to make this school more accepting to queer and transgender students.”
Two years ago, it was becoming clear that the needs of transgender students differ from those of queer students at Concordia. Transgender Concordia, an offshoot club of Queer Concordia, was formed in 2013 to serve the needs of the non-gender-binary conforming community, and trans men and women.
With the Annual General Meeting of Queer Concordia approaching, the topic of political advocacy within both clubs came up. It is scheduled for Sept. 23. While the opinions of interviewees are not representative of Queer Concordia or Transgender Concordia, Albernaz expressed her goal of seeing a level of activism come into the organizations.
“If the Gender Empowerment Fund takes off, we would like to impose a bigger budget [for the project],” Albernaz said. “Being a student levy group, I would like to see Queer Concordia partner with political [movements].”
Albernaz went on to say that this year’s AGM would hold special importance for both clubs, as Queer Concordia is opening up a spot on their Board of Directors for a member of Transgender Concordia.
The representative will be a head at Queer Concordia to ensure the partnership these clubs have worked to establish remains strong within the upcoming year. Albernaz and Baines were sensitive to the fact that there are different needs between queer and transgender students. They both hope that the clubs will continue to be safe and welcoming spaces to all students.
During the discussion of safe spaces on campus, the topic of the university’s sensitivity training was broached. Albernaz and Baines were enthusiastic about the training, expressing that it reflects the positions their clubs have been taking on for years. Baines said that the training “brings us closer to this utopia where asking people their pronouns is as common as asking them their name.”
Albernaz and Baines were involved in the writing of the program alongside the Centre for Gender Advocacy. While they are both incredibly grateful for what the training has given Concordia, Albernaz felt that what the university has implemented is barely above basic.
“We shouldn’t have to say thank you for having a safer space,” Albernaz said.
Queer Concordia is having its Annual General Meeting on Sept. 23 at the CSU Lounge (Hall building 7th floor)
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