Erased Faces

myqueertestimony:

Submitted by THE POSITIVE SPACES INITIATIVE, Toronto, Ontario (www.positivespaces.ca)

Photos of NOURI, PAULETTE, NICO & JOHAN

“Now I am very happy. We have a lot of friends there, and we are going, talking to them. And when I am absent, they are missing us.” -Nouri on the friendships she and her sister made at school, immigrated to Ottawa from South Asia

“It was about coming into my own and coming out to myself, in the open. I found that refreshing…You just go through it and you think about all the things you’ve been through and you’re like, wow, this is another step forward, wow, this is another step forward.” -Paulette reflecting on her life, immigrated to Canada from East Africa

“We’re shy, we’re nervous a lot, and to be gay. We’re new in school and if the teachers know and our classmates know…” (Nico) “They judge us, they will make fun of us.” (Johan) “And maybe they’ll leave us, so we don’t have any friends.” (Nico). -Nico & Johan on their fears about being accepted at school, immigrated to Barrie from Asia

Read more of their stories here.

About the Project:

The Untold Stories Project was a research component conducted in the first phase of The Positive Spaces Initiative. Our aim was to document the ‘untold stories’ and experiences of LGBTQ immigrants, refugees, service providers and allies.

About the Program:

The Positive Spaces Initiative (PSI) was developed by Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) to share resources and increase organizational capacity across the sector to more effectively serve LGBTQ newcomers. OCASI recognizes the strengths of its member agencies and strives to support all agencies to create Positive Spaces. The initiative is grounded in the understanding that LGBTQ newcomers are often a part of multiple communities and seek welcoming service regardless of age, race, cultural community, faith or religion, disability, gender, status, etc. The strength of Positive Spaces is in creating an environment which strives to understand the overlapping and intersecting nature of our communities.