The 519 Church Street Community Centre

Archive for August, 2009

Construction Update

Monday, August 31st, 2009

The noise of construction has once again returned to the halls of The 519 and the end is nearer than ever. While we had hoped for a fall completion, however some of our subcontractors were unable to return to the site over the summer, delaying the project further.

If all goes well, construction will be complete by the end of the year.

We’re planning to hold public open houses shortly after the building is complete to give the community a chance to see the space and experience the new Centre.  Grand opening events will be held at a later date to make time for planning and promotion.

Once we have a firm completion date we will be able to provide more concrete details of our grand opening and begin scheduling new activities into our expanded and renovated space. If you wish to bring your community activity here or start a new group, please review The 519’s Space Use Policy.

We appreciate the patience demonstrated by the community as they await the reopening of The 519.  We know how important the Centre is to the community and to the groups and organizations which use our space for important community programming.  We can’t wait to open the doors to you once again.

Tags: Constructions, Renovations
Posted in Construction | No Comments »

Maclean’s Magazine and the LGBT Community

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

On August 13th, Maclean’s broadcasted a twitter message which read “Transsexual killer to B.C. government: Pay for my penectomy”, with a link which lead to a short article on their website.

In our view, the article was purposefully and unnecessarily provocative, and written with a bias which was clearly transphobic.  Gender pronouns were used inconsistently and quotation marks were applied as though to discredit or question the individual’s identity and gender.

And then we read this.

While arguing a loss of liberties and trying to make a case for the purchase and sale of reproductive fluids, Mark Steyn manages to be not just transphobic, but also racist and homophobic at the same time.  His attacks on our right to self-identify, upon queer parenting and upon first nations tradition distorts and overshadows his argument.  The article is so far into the realm of offensive that one could mistake it for satire. In fact, Steyn’s writing is so ridiculous that it almost isn’t worth responding to.  By responding, do we give him attention that he doesn’t deserve?  It begs the question – why care?

Maclean’s claims a readership of 2.8 million Canadians, that’s why.  2.8 million people are influenced by this writing and those 2.8 million Canadians  need to know that treating members of our communities in this way is not acceptable.

We wrote this letter to the Editor of Maclean’s.  We will continue to inform the community of Maclean’s willingness to publish transphobic and otherwise hateful language, and we encourage you to share your thoughts by sending your own letter to the Editor.

What do you think? We welcome your comments below.

Tags: Activist, Advocacy, Homopobia, LGBT, Maclean's, Mark Steyn, Rights, Transgender, Transphobia, Two-Spirited
Posted in Activism, Media | 25 Comments »

We’re looking for new Board Members!

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

It’s a great time to join The 519’s Board of Management!!! The construction of the building is coming to a close – we are refocusing our energies and transforming the Centre. In order to make this transformation possible, we are seeking diverse, interested and passionate community-minded people who are interested in playing a role on the Centre’s Board of Management.

As an organization we are committed to recruiting people who represent the diversity of our communities. In particular we are seeking to increase our representation of women and trans persons who represent a cross section of age, race, and ethno-culturally diverse communities and brings with them expertise and experience in the following areas

• Resource development, fundraising, and event planning
• Public policy, networking and community engagement
• Non-profit board governance and board committee experience
• Human resources and organizational development

As a policy-based Board, The 519’s Board of Management provides vision, leadership and oversight to the organization. Members are expected to come prepared for meetings, participate and be engaged in decision-making, strategic planning, and various fundraising initiatives.

General expectations include:

• Willingness to work collaboratively with other Directors to maintain positive relations among the Board, committees, Centre members, staff and our communities to promote the Centre’s mission and the communities with which we work
• A willingness to develop and share your knowledge, skills, connections, and expertise to enhance the Centre
• A willingness to advance the strategic plan and support the Centre to diversify its revenue base

Important Dates:

New Membership Deadline: August 30, 2009

Nominations Close: September 20, 2009

Annual General Meeting: September 30, 2009

If you are interested in making a difference and giving back to your community, click here for more information and a copy of the nomination form or call the Centre at 416-392-6874 for more information.

Posted in Board of Management, Members | No Comments »