Yesterday (October 8th, 2026), I sat down with the team at Out On The Shelf for an open, crucial conversation about 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, community safety, and the systemic barriers facing marginalized residents in Guelph.
We talked at length about how the discrimination and lack of municipal resources experienced by 2SLGBTQIA+ residents do not happen in a vacuum. They align directly with the systemic neglect, displacement, and housing barriers faced by Indigenous community members, racialized groups, and unhoused neighbors across our city. The “2S” in 2SLGBTQIA+ reminds us that Indigenous Two-Spirit people live at the vital intersection of these identities—carrying rich traditions while often bearing the heaviest burden of systemic bias and lack of support.
When asked if I unequivocally support 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and whether I commit to attending the Guelph Pride flag raising and Pride events, my answer was immediate: Without hesitation, yes.
True solidarity isn’t showing up for a photo op once a year. It requires standing firm against hate, securing real municipal resources for grassroots community spaces, and recognizing that our struggles for dignity, housing, and safety are deeply connected.
My Commitments to Intersectional Justice & Community Support:
- Resource Community Lifelines: Secure direct, stable municipal support and physical spaces for essential organizations like Out On The Shelf and Indigenous-led community spaces, ensuring they can serve residents without constantly fighting for survival.
- Support Indigenous Sovereignty & Decolonized Planning: Work alongside local First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Two-Spirit leaders to uphold Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action at the municipal level, ensuring city housing and social initiatives explicitly serve marginalized communities.
- Uncompromising Advocacy Against Hate: Stand firmly against anti-trans rhetoric, racism, and bigotry at City Hall, in our public spaces, and across our broader community.
- Inclusive Public Services: Ensure municipal healthcare, emergency services, and housing programs are designed with active protection and equitable access for trans, non-binary, Two-Spirit, and racialized residents.
Basic human rights and dignity are not up for negotiation. I look forward to standing alongside 2SLGBTQIA+ and Indigenous community leaders at Pride and throughout the year and backing that commitment with votes at City Hall