Tag: Queer

From Embers: Five Years After The Brawl At Hamilton Pride

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Originally published by From Embers LISTEN HERE Five summers ago on June 15th 2019, a group of homophobic “street preachers” and their white nationalist allies attempted to enter and disrupt the annual Hamilton Pride celebrations at Gage Park. Based on experience the previous year at Hamilton Pride and elsewhere in southern Ontario, anarchists and radical queers were expecting this and had organized to counter them. Wearing pink t-shirts over their faces and carrying a 30’ Read More …

Queers, Are You Ready for the Backlash? Preparing for a Poilievre Government

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I’ve always liked connecting with other queer people and talking politics, comparing notes on how we see society and what is affecting us. But lately, this has been feeling quite urgent. The countdown is on until we end up with a reactionary federal government — there will be a federal election no later than October 2025, and if current trends hold, there will be a Conservative landslide that brings Pierre Poilievre to power.

This is soon, but we can still do a lot in 17 months. It feels important to me that queers and their friends use this time wisely, to try to get organized and prepare for a backlash against our social gains of the last few years. Read More …

From Embers: Drag Defence in Quebec

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By From Embers LISTEN HERE Talking with Louve Rose from P!nk Bloc Montreal about Quebec’s transphobic far right, drag defence, and building a revolutionary anti-capitalist queer organization for both community self-defence and to intervene against gay assimilationism. Links P!nk Bloc MTL – Instagram, Facebook, Linktree August 12 Rad Pride (Facebook Event) Montreal Antifasciste MAF reportback from April 12 drag defence From Embers – Anti-Fascism in Quebec Revolutionary Trans Politics and the Three Way Read More …

Ottawa: Reportback from February Drag Storytimes at NAC and Winter Pride

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Anonymous Submission to North Shore Counter-Info DRAG STORYTIME AT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE On Wednesday, February 8th, 2023, community turned out in big numbers to protect drag storytime at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, ON. This was the first major action called by the Save Canada boys since Renfrew, but despite the event being in the middle of the day, drag defenders outnumbered the fash about 200 to 30. Read More …

Ottawa: Anti-Fascists Kettle Bigots

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From Anti-fascism in Ottawa on Instagram Today Billboard Chris, the fascist youth organization “Save Canada”, Derek Sloan and a conglomerate of reactionary media personalities arrived to attempt to march up and down Broadview Avenue. They were confronted by a diverse coalition of antifascists. The antifascists today not only managed to break police lines but also kettled the fascists for 2+ hours, effectively denying them the space and ability to demonstrate. Read More …

Brockville: Drag Storytime Reportback

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From Gay Mafia Protection Racket Like the world’s worst game of whack-a-mole, we were out again yesterday, December 17, in Brockville, Ontario to protect a drag story hour at their local library. And once again, we outnumbered them from the start, successfully keeping them out of the event and away from LGBTQ+ kids. Library staff were happy to see us when we arrived ahead of time and set up our Read More …

Renfrew Pride Defence Reportback

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On November 25, around 30 people rallied outside a Catholic high school in Renfrew, Ontario, against trans girls using the women’s washroom. While officially, it was called by a Grade 11 student, it brought out a mix of their local and big-city far right. The poster for the event had the logos for Freedom Fighters Canada, Save Canada, and Ontario Party, a few of the many groups that have come from the anti-mandate movement. The organizer’s own social media also makes it clear that he’s familiar and integrated with the far-right ecosystem of the Ottawa occupation. Read More …

Hamilton Queer Community Defence Reportback

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On November 24, people in Hamilton showed up to support a drag storytime event after word spread online that haters would be coming to protest it. Some of the apparent organizers of the event emerged from the ‘freedom convoy’ movement but lately seem to have been focusing on queer/trans-related issues, especially those concerning kids.  Read More …

Hamilton Pride 2022 Report Back

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Remember Hamilton Pride 2019? Expecting an attack by christian hate groups and far-right trolls, folks organized themselves to defend pride. … This year was the first Hamilton Pride festival since that summer, and the “official” Pride offerings couldn’t have been further from those roots. Pride was to be held indoors, in a convention center, under the heavy surveillance of Hamilton police. It was a slap in the face to those who fought so hard to defend our space in 2019, to keep each other safe while being visible, joyful, and true to ourselves in public. Read More …