U of T’s 10th annual Queer Orientation began last week on all three campuses with events and activities related to the LGBTQ communities.
Queer Orientation week provides a networking opportunity for new and returning students, staff, and faculty to engage in activities and discussions related to LGBTQ matters, according to Denio Lourenco, UTMSU’s LGBTQ coordinator.
“Queer Orientation is an annual tradition at UTM for the last 10 years. It focuses on the different issues faced by the Queer Community,” stated Lourenco in an interview with The Medium.
“My goal for this year is to have better and more inclusive events,” Lourenco continued.
This year’s Queer Orientation is comprised of 47 different events across all U of T campuses.
At UTM, the orientation kicked off with a meet and greet event last Thursday, featuring executives from OUT@UTM, a group for the LGBTQ community.
Sexy Bingo, an event presented by OUT@UTM and UTM SEC, took place the following day. Students got to play games and win prizes, and received some background information on sexual education.
Queer Orientation continues this week, with events including an Arts and Crafts Night, a Trans Space event, which will offer a designated discussion space for trans people to meet and talk about their experiences, and a Queer at Work panel on Wednesday that will feature speakers from Black Lives Matter Toronto.
The Queer at Work event, according to Lourenco, will encourage discussions from an intersectional perspective and address issues that specifically relate to queer and trans people of color, as well as Indigenous people.
The last day of the orientation will feature several events, including a Positive Space Mix and Mingle event, which will be wheelchair accessible, and a Block Party in front of the Blind Duck Pub, a film screening to celebrate the orientation, and a Night Crawl event at Erindale Park.
