Army of Lovers: Rally and March for LGBTQ+ Refugee Rights in Downtown East Toronto

By -

Recently, Regent Park TV covered the March for LGBTQIA2S+ Refugee Rights 2024, a significant event that brought together Downtown East communities, including Regent Park. The event drew a massive crowd of newcomers and residents, predominantly of African descent, highlighting the vibrant diversity and unity within the area.

Organized by The 519 as part of the National Rainbow Week of Action, the rally sought to amplify support for LGBTQ+ refugees. The event at Barbara Hall Park served as a powerful platform to address the pressing issues faced by LGBTQIA2S+ newcomers and refugees in the city.

A distinguished lineup of speakers added weight to the event's message. MPP Wong-Tam, MPP Marit Stiles, and Councillor Moise, addressed the need for government action to defend the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ refugees.

Additional speakers, such as Representatives from various organizations, including Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Toronto, Lisa Duplessis, Director of Programs and Community Services, Reverend Deana Dudley of the MCC Church Toronto, Fae Johnstone, a queer activist and organizer from Queer Momentum, Samia Hashi, Unifor Ontario Regional Director, Patrick Mwesigye, Manager of Hope for Refugees Toronto, united in their advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights and emphasized their solidarity with refugees and the critical need for comprehensive support systems.

The rally was not only a series of impactful speeches but also a celebration of solidarity and resilience. The event underscored the importance of collective action in defending marginalized communities' rights and promoting inclusivity in downtown East Toronto.

RPTV reporter Fred Alvarado captured the essence of the rally, showcasing the community's strong commitment to refugee rights and the ongoing efforts to create a safer, more inclusive Toronto for all. 

By Fred Alvarado Fred is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Regent Park Portrayed in Film and Television

By -
Image
Toronto has a rich history of being a go-to shooting location for many television and film production companies. Some notable films shot here over the years include Good Will Hunting (1997), Billy Madison (1998), American Psycho (2000), and X-Men (2000). Regent Park has also had its share of showcases in film. This article aims to review the general content of movie dramas and televisions shows shot in Regent and explore their relationship to the community. Clement Virgo is a director, producer, and writer from Montego Bay, Jamaica. He was born in 1966 and moved to the Regent Park area in Toronto in 1977. During this time Regent Park was generally populated by low-income families and as a hot spot for drugs. Virgo is most recently known for his roles in Greenleaf (2016-2018), The Book of Negroes (2015), and The Wire (2002) as Director and/or Producer. His first feature-length film, however, was Rude (1995), which was filmed almost entirely in the old Regent Park. “The film told...
Read more

What Social Inclusion Means to Me

By -
I had moved into Regent Park only a few days before I saw the pink, fuchsia, strawberry, indigo, yellow, green, neck streamers and sparkling robes worn by children, parents, aunts, uncles, and elders as they marched passed my kitchen door. Soon, the nearby Athletic Grounds was blazing with colour. Although it was the first time I heard them, the intonations on the microphone were recognizable, even to me, as prayers. It was Eid, the concluding celebration after Ramadan. It was a beautiful sight. I am a White Jewish senior and I hunted for a stairless condo for years before I chose to live in Regent Park and then only because a relative did business with the new seniors’ building there. “Regent Park?” a friend exclaimed. “You are going to have ethnic problems.”  “Not I.  I come from a long line of fiery leftie activists.” I replied. Stage four and five of revitalizing this post-war subsidized development into a multi-income community was just beginning and I ju...
Read more

Meet Your Neighbourhood Police Officers – PC Mircea Biga and PC Farzad Ghotbi

By -
Image
Community-based policing is a proactive law enforcement strategy that focuses on building ties and working closely with a community’s members to create partnerships and plans for preventing and reducing crime. While community policing will look differently depending on the community it serves, a central feature is that the same officer patrols and works in the same area on a permanent basis. Currently there are 17 community-based police programs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), but what most people don’t know is that Toronto’s community policing started in Regent Park in May of 2017. We know this because the original officers involved in setting up the Regent Park community policing program continue to work here today. The officers are PC Mircea Biga, PC Farzad Ghotbi, and PC Edward Parks; the newest officer assigned to the Regent Park community is PC Nigel Thomas (who is replacing PC Melissa Huntley while she is on maternity leave). Symptomatic of the increasing diversity...
Read more