From the artist who created the flyer:
In collaboration with the Trans Youth Mentorship program, when talking about what 50 years of fierce love and solidarity means alongside Trans Day of Remembrance, we came together with the concept of “Ballroom”; not just because it is our regular gathering space, but in memory and honour of Black and Latino youth who created these underground spaces to explore identity, community, solidarity, and to create families that support each other.
The glitter words, the photos of past performers of all ages that I’ve been taking for the past 10 years, the light shining through- they are all a representation of the resilience, beauty, strength, and fierce love that I feel in our community.
I can only imagine the countless 2 spirit, trans, and gender-diverse community members who have come to this centre day after day for 50 years, leaving behind them memories, actions, organizing, and acts of support with each other. I’ve been in this space for 10 years now, and I’ve come to carry the names of people who shared space within these walls before my time, like Kyle Scanlon.
None of the hundreds of 2SLGBTQ+ programs at The 519 would have happened without that youth group who came here in the 1970s and decided to run their group here. Over 5 decades, little by little, our comrades and community have continued that legacy by coming here, volunteering, suggesting, getting involved, getting hired, organizing, engaging, retiring.
I want the flyer to be a node to remember the stories of those who have and continue to animate these walls; every meal we share, every story we hear, every name we say… they stay. We remember them at TDoR in our community gathering and vigil, but they persist beyond one moment or gathering – we carry and remember them for the rest of our lives.
I also want the flyer to show the fierce love and solidarity of each 2 spirit, trans, and gender diverse person who continues to come through these doors, taking up space, showing up for others, building, creating, dancing, singing, cooking, reading, every drum that beats, every stitch that’s sewn, it stays here – creating the fabric of our collective stories and histories. My desire and intention is to honour them through this flyer and these designs.
I am grateful to each one of you who were and are here, who practice solidarity and community, who bring your fierce courage, your unrelenting love, your laughter, your shine, your creativity, your grief, your questions, your challenges, your journey. And I remember those whose names are here, and not here, tonight, in our hearts, and in the land.
This space has seen 50 years of fierce love brought by 2 spirit, trans, and gender diverse people
50 years of getting together, working together, advocating, breaking bread, and practicing solidarity in action.
We honour you, we remember you, we celebrate you.
