Qmunity Explained

Type:Community centre
Purpose:LGBT community
Headquarters:Vancouver, British Columbia
Coords:49.2819°N -123.1329°W
Leader Title:Executive director
Main Organ:Board of directors
Qmunity
Location:1170 Bute Street
Vancouver, British Columbia  V6E 1Z6
Region Served:British Columbia[1]
Num Staff:13
Num Volunteers:700

Qmunity (officially Qmunity, BC's Queer, Trans, and Two-Spirit Resource Centre Society), formerly known as the Centre,[2] is an LGBT community centre located on Bute Street in the Davie Village neighbourhood of the West End[3] [4] of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[5] [6]

Activities and initiatives

Qmunity houses or operates a number of programs and initiatives, including the Vancouver Pride House during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games; the Transgender Health Program, a program operated in cooperation with the Vancouver Coastal Health regional health authority and which moved to Qmunity after Vancouver General Hospital's Gender Clinic closed in 2002.[7]

Pride House Vancouver

The Vancouver location of Pride House was housed within Qmunity.[6] During the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Vancouver and Whistler Pride Houses served as venues for LGBT sportspeople, coaches, visitors and their friends, families and supporters, and became the first Pride Houses at an Olympics.[5] Although both Pride Houses offered information and support services to LGBT athletes and attendees, the Whistler location in Pan Pacific Village Centre had a "celebratory theme", while the Vancouver venue emphasised education about Vancouver's LGBT community and, for non-Canadian athletes, information about immigration to and asylum in Canada, including "legal resources" from Egale Canada and the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (IGLA).

Notable visitors to Pride House Vancouver include openly gay Canadian Olympic swimmers Mark Tewksbury and Marion Lay,[8] as well as Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson and American political satirist Stephen Colbert.[9]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Gay leader says city safe despite hate crimes report . Mike . Howell . . 23 June 2010 . 9 October 2010.
  2. News: Vancouver Pride House planned for 2010 Games . Natasha . Barsotti . . 22 October 2009 . 9 October 2010.
  3. News: Vicious attack puts gay Vancouver couple in hospital . Rebecca . Lindell . . 14 June 2010 . 9 October 2010.
  4. News: QBall's lessons . Robin . Perelle . . 24 September 2009 . 9 October 2010.
  5. News: Mitsui. Evan. 14 February 2010. Pride House: Safe haven at the Games. CBC.ca. 9 October 2010.
  6. News: Hainsworth. Jeremy. 17 February 2010. Museum launches Champion Human Rights campaign. Xtra!. dead. 9 October 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100223072407/http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/Museum_launches_Champion_Human_Rights_campaign-8263.aspx. 23 February 2010.
  7. News: Hainsworth. Jeremy. 24 September 2009. Best of Vancouver communities: Transitioning to a bright future. The Georgia Straight. 9 October 2010.
  8. News: Williams. Ken. 16 February 2010. Gay Olympians are finding a safe haven at PRIDE House. San Diego Gay & Lesbian News. 9 October 2010.
  9. News: D'Alessandro. Dave. 20 February 2010. Vancouver's Pride House offers safe haven for gay, lesbian Olympic athletes. The Star-Ledger. 9 October 2010.