Tonie Walsh*, Cree Plains Alberta, will be lighting the candle at the AIDS Vigil on June 23 rd for all Aboriginals who have passed away from HIV in 2014. She has had HIV for many years and says she has done more positive things since being diagnosed than at any other time in her life

National Aboriginal History Month is celebrated all across Canada every June. It was passed by a unanimous motion in the House of Commons in 2009 and provides an opportunity to recognize and honour the history, heritage, contributions, customs and cultures of Inuit, Métis and First Nation communities all across Canada.

Throughout the month, a number of special events are planned to celebrate Aboriginal Peoples and these events often include traditional teachings and activities, but they also focus on creating an inviting space for non-Aboriginal people to learn and participate. The focal point of the month is National Aboriginal Day, which occurs on June 21^st. In Toronto there are many celebratory events and activities to choose from, including:

• Those offered through the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, the Toronto Public Library, and hosted by the City of Toronto
• The Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence) traditional outdoor Pow Wow at Fort York

If you are organizing or aware of more great events in Toronto celebrating National Aboriginal History Month or National Aboriginal Day, let us know here. Follow @nelliesshelter on Twitter and look for our daily Tweets on #MMIW, #highwayoftears, #StolenSisters, #FirstNations, #Aboriginal, #IndigenousLivesMatter.

Nellie’s has always taken a strong stance supporting and advocating for Aboriginal women’s rights and speaking out against the violence they experience. Nellie’s is committed to bringing awareness to these issues, many of which are deeply rooted in Canadian society and structure through years of colonialism, racism and genocide of Aboriginal peoples.

Previous blogs from the Social Justice and Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Committee have focused on: remembering murdered and missing aboriginal women, human rights and the treatment of Aboriginal women and girls, and the connection between Aboriginal women and the topic of our upcoming position paper: criminalized and incarcerated women.

Nellie’s also has an Aboriginal resource page with links to key organizations and services.

*Windsong Woman Who Carries the Medicine (Spirit Name)

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies

In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on member states to proclaim a day for women’s rights and international peace. Following the United Nations’ lead, Canada chose March 8 as International Women’s Day (IWD)

In 1910 a second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen. A woman named a Clara Zetkin (Leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea of an International Women’s Day. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day – a Women’s Day – to press for their demands. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin’s suggestion with unanimous approval and thus International Women’s Day was the result.

In 1911 Following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in 1911, International Women’s Day (IWD) was honoured the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. More than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. However less than a week later on 25 March, the tragic ‘Triangle Fire’ in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This disastrous event drew significant attention to working conditions and labour legislation in the United States that became a focus of subsequent International Women’s Day events. 1911 also saw women’s ‘Bread and Roses‘ campaign.

For many years the United Nations has held an annual IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women’s rights and participation in social, political and economic processes. 1975 was designated as ‘International Women’s Year‘ by the United Nations.
Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, and government activities and networking events through to local women’s craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more.

Great improvements have been made, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Over the next 7 days we look forward to celebrating the achievements of women and joining with other women’s organizations in a commitment to a future where everyone has a chance to thrive and prosper in peace and equality.  Stay tuned for information on International Women’s Day celebrations in the GTA.

Make everyday International Women’s Day. Do your bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day

Nellie’s was proud to attend the Trans* Day of Remembrance on November 20, 2014 at The 519 Church Street Community Centre.

This year’s event was largely conceived and created by members of Toronto’s LGBT communities, through input gained during a series of drop-in meetings, activities, and trans* programming. Community participation, collaboration, and reflection were therefore an important theme of the evening.

The evening began with a smudging ceremony and delicious communal dinner, providing the packed room of community members a warm, safer space to meet and reconnect with one another over the comfort of sharing food.

Afterwards, seven performers sang, danced, recited reflections, and performed to various upbeat vocals. As song lyrics such as “It’s my time to rise / It’s my time to shine”, “Why’s it so hard to love one another?”, “Let’s make the world a better place for you and for me” and “I will always love you” rang loudly over the speakers, and trans* flags were waved in the audience, a somber mood was apparent. It was largely understood that this was an evening to commemorate and celebrate lives of community members who were no longer living.

Throughout the evening, a list of over 1500 names of trans* community members who had passed away since 1998 was projected onto the walls. Amongst community members, it was understood that this list of 1500 names was not exhaustive, nor indicative of the true number of deaths within trans* communities locally and globally.

Throughout the evening, trans* community members spoke about their experiences of community, connection, discrimination, and loss.

Community members spoke of their connections with their chosen families, over food banks, housing complexes, and community centres.  One trans* woman spoke of her extreme gratitude for The 519, as someone who used their washroom facilities daily as a safer space for her to wash and dress, since 1985. Another woman stated, “twenty seven years ago, we never had this [community space], we celebrated in our corners and our squats”. A 14-year-old community member shared that this was their first time attending an LGBT event, and thanked the generations before them that made it possible for them to identify openly as trans*, even within their school. Another community member spoke of the support they received within the community as someone who transitioned later in life.

Community members also spoke about the discrimination that they faced daily, within stores, on the streets, within community centres, within overarching systems (the legal system, housing and employment) and within broader queer communities. Participants spoke about the importance of carrying the “feeling of care” apparent within the room, outside into the daily lives of their LGBT communities.

A Community Photo Project displayed members of the trans* community, displaying photos of what Trans Day of Remembrance meant to each of them personally. Interactive art projects on the Centre’s walls also commemorated lives lost, which participants were able to contribute to, if they wished. Participants wrote about “the comfort of communal remembering” which was present amongst a room full of people who have lost someone.

The evening ended with a moment of silence, a Community Led Memorial and a Candlelight Vigil, where participants were provided time to publically share their personal memories. Prominent trans* community members who had passed away were remembered. A worker from Sherbourne Health Centre explained to community members that a designated space was being provided until the end of November, as a “grieving space, and space for resilience” for anyone who wished to access it.

Buttons, purple ribbons, and verses were distributed to participants, echoing the importance of the evening. The verse stated: “Please wear this ribbon to remember all the Trans People we have lost this year to violence and suicide. We are your neighbors, we are your brothers and sisters, we are your children. We are Human. The T in LGBT cannot be silent”.

As an organization, Nellie’s felt very fortunate to attend the Trans* Day of Remembrance, and continues to understand the importance of providing members of trans* communities with safer housing accommodations, support, and unconditional acceptance.

On July 17^th, 2014, Nellie’s held a workshop on Family Law, specifically child custody and access, at the Community Support and Outreach Office. The workshop was facilitated by the Program Lawyer and Legal Information Coordinator from METRAC Action on Violence. METRAC has a community Justice Program that provides accessible legal information to women and service providers with a specific focus on how policies and law affect women from diverse backgrounds, especially those experiencing abuse or violence. 21 women from the community attended this workshop to learn more about the family law process, their legal rights and participated in discussion on likely scenarios that could occur during the family law process.

The workshop covered the following topics: custody and access basics, how courts decide custody and access, following custody and access order, tips for dealing with a difficult parent and difficult custody situations.

More specifically, the workshop covered the meaning of custody, who can get custody, how to get custody and the different types of custody that exists. Custody refers to the legal right and responsibility to make all the important decisions for your child’s life.  It also covered the meaning of access, who can get access and types of access (such as reasonable access, fixed access, graduated access, supervised access and no access).  Access refers to the right to spend time with the child and know about child’s health, education and well-being.

The workshop also addressed what to do when leaving an abusive relationship. If you are leaving an abusive relationship and take your child with you:

1. When you get to a safe place, get a message to the other parent to let them know the child is safe, but be careful to not disclose your location
2. Talk to a family lawyer right away

If you are have leave for safety reasons and cannot take your child with you:

1. Keep in contact with your child and file for custody as soon as possible
2. Try to make sure of the following: you child is safe, your child knows what is happening, your child knows you love them and the child knows how to contact you

For more resources on the topic, go to:

www.owjn.org

www.onefamilylaw.ca

www.yourlegalrights.on.ca

Nellie’s also has Transitional Housing and Support Workers who can provide support accessing legal aid, finding a lawyer, 2-hour free legal consultation certificates with a family lawyer and support and accompaniments during the family legal process.

On May 16th, 2014, the Rainbow Flag was raised at Toronto’s City Hall to acknowledge International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. World Pride 2014 also announced:

• This year’s International Grand Marshall, Georgian human rights activist Anna Rekhviashvili;
• The release of the preliminary WorldPride Human Rights Conference 2014 (WPHRC14) schedule;
• ALL past IGM’s will attend as a show of support for International Human Rights.

WorldPride, organised by InterPride, is an event that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT Pride) issues on an international level through parades, festivals and other cultural activities. Founded by Paul Stenson, from 2014, the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the event will be held on a five-year cycle.

WorldPride 2014 Toronto takes place from June 20-29, 2014 & incorporates activism, education, and the history and culture of global LGBTTIQQ2SA* communities. WorldPride 2014 Toronto is presented by Pride Toronto, producer of Canada’s largest annual festival of LGBTTIQQ2SA culture and human rights, under license from InterPride.

Up to 150 LGBTI rights leaders from around the world will speak, including:

• Edith Windsor, who won the landmark case that overturned the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the United states
• Cleve Jones a pioneer in the LGBT movement since the 1970s, who is currently behind the campaign to encourage LGBT tourists to patronize hotels that respect the rights of workers
• Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir former Prime Minister of Iceland, and the world’s first openly gay head of government
• Mariela Castro Espin, Director of the Cuban National Centre for Sex Education, longtime leading voice for LGBT Rights in Cuba, and daughter of Cuban President Raul Castro
• Russian activist and journalist Masha Gessen
• Ugandan LBGTI activist Frank Mugisha
• Kenyan human rights lawyer Justice Monica Mbaru
• Venezuelan trans activist Tamara Adrián, and
• First Nations Two-Spirited activist Albert McLeod, from The Pas in northern Manitoba and co-founder of the Nichiwakan Gay Society and the Two-Spirited Peoples of Manitoba, amongst many other speakers.

Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly and Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam announced that the city will host a “historic” mass gay wedding on June 26 – right in the middle of World Pride 2014 celebrations. Up to 150 LGBTQ couples are invited to participate in the summertime “Celebration of Love” which organizers promise will to be the “most elegant and grand pride wedding in history.”

Tents, flowers, live entertainment, and photographers will be supplied for free at Casa Loma. Organizers hope the event will be “the largest LGBTQ wedding in history.” And in the spirit of inclusiveness; Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, New Thought, and Humanist officiants will be on site to marry couples.

Coun. Kyle Rae said the decision to give the event to Toronto is a reflection of the city’s reputation as a gay-friendly city. “I think people in other jurisdictions recognize that there’s something special in Toronto,” Rae said.

*LGBTTIQQ2SA is an abbreviation used to represent a broad array of identities such as, but not limited to, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning, two-spirited and allies. For more information visit http://www.worldpridetoronto.com