Camrose Pride – November Meeting 

Date: Monday, November 20, 2023 

Time: 7pm – 8:30pm 

Place: Online Zoom & Composite High School

1. Call to Order – Confirm quorum – Check-in; Tim Tam Slams: 

What are everybody’s capacity levels? 

Green: I have capacity to do more than what I did this month towards Camrose Pride. 

Gus, he/him       Stacey, she/her

Yellow: The work so far has been manageable. 

Megan, she/her Teri, she/her       Stephen, he/him       Rose, she/her       

Mia, she/her

Red: The amount of work required of me this month caused me stress. 

Ray and Louis are also here

2. Financial Report 

a. Financial Report 

• 2,492.38 balance. 3.75 bank fee. 41.50 Game night fees (Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov)

b. Jackie Lovely, Minister of Women and Culture, Advisor to Danielle Smith re: LGBTQ2SIA+ populations. Gus and Megan – Monday December 11

c. City councilors – Committee of the Whole (January 2, 2-4:30pm)

d. Camrose Community Grant (February application) Up to 5,000

3. Old Business 

a. Educational Resources 

• Education: google doc of resources. Lots in Edmonton. Stephen will add to the website. Do we want to create a list of Camrose LGBTQ2SIA+ friendly businesses? < standing item to couch for later? < break into smaller steps, queer affirming doctors in Camrose (Dr. Charlie Boyd) < educational resource or resource < lawyers, physicians, hairstylists < visual on website: “if you identify as queer affirming, email us to be added to this resource”
• Discuss date to update website

4. New Business 

a. Rocky Horror Picture Show 

• Infinite Imagination (Mike). Coproduction with CPC to modernize and tell the Rocky Horror Picture Show from a queer lens, with entirely local talent. Approximately $6,500 to produce, including licensing and promotion. Profit of $5,000-10,000 donated to Camrose Pride, a portion to support Infinite Imagination. At Bailey Theatre. Program with sponsorships. 

Winter 2023-2024 Rocky Horror Picture Show talking circle, preview and discussion. How to modernize, personalize it

• Can we legally show it at the Comp? Library? Private home (Stacey)?
• Community event, not hidden
• Teri will look into BRSD inclusion at Comp. Louis will check with Library

January-February Seek sponsorships, apply for Camrose Culture Grant. Believe in event and sell to sponsors

April Begin auditions and set prep

May-September 1+ person from CPC to attend rehearsals (1-2 hours each) to be co-producer in production. Asset is organization and queer lens. Help with props. 

• Interested: Louis props and queer lens, Megan organization, Rose organization, props and queer lens

October Three times a week rehearsals (2 hours each). Volunteers for day of performance (2-3 performances at the end of October) for grab bag fundraiser < items to throw to participate in play, sell to raise funds < volunteers to hand out and clean up

• Ray puts forward a motion to go through with the RHPS Extravaganza, Stephen seconds the motion. All in favour: Stacey, Teri, Louis, Meg, Rose, Gus, Stephen, Ray

b. Precursory planning for health conference 

• Reach out to AHS Inclusion and Diversity Council
  • Other reach outs?
    • Look at Edmonton’s resources 
    • Michal Fhair, city counselor who is out, gay seniors
    • Louis can ask Gay Ray from FyreFly for their interest. PhD student. Knowledge about binding
    • U of A presenters
      • Inclusive Health Conference U of A < look at speakers
    • AQUA contact / Health and Wellness Augustana
    • Skipping Stone – Trans health organization from Calgary < PrEP for HIV
    • One-tree psychological services – trans youth support group
    • GSA conference at U of A
    • Drag-a-thon
    • Muslim gay support. Ethnic diversity 
    • Prairie trans health network 
    • Marni Panas 
• Charley Boyd
• Taking care of themselves Or transform their stress – Tammy Richard
• Draft letter for call-out – Stacey, given key points to touch on
  • Rural care
  • LGBTQ2SIA+ Rural Health Conference – Name TBD
  • Families, Communities and Individuals in LGBTQ2SIA+ community – Inclusive
  • Audience: medical professionals (dentist, optometrist, pharmacist, massage therapist), business owners, people providing supports, community members, the public?
    • Group intended for informs what we talk about
    • Doctors have a big conference 
  • Learn how to make rural health services safer and more inclusive, why it matters, gendered language, demystify and de-sensationalize, real world applications, sex / gender
  • Community members panel: experiences in rural Alberta, gaps
  • Speaker fees, mileage? Paid opportunity, $100 honorariums, compensation?
  • Online zoom, in-person hybrid, free to join
  • How many speakers for a good conference? 3-4 speakers, keynote (30m) intro and outro speaker, panels, 2 sessions (45m) with groups of four. 
  • Pamphlets – google doc with resources from Stacey

5. Standing items 

1. Donor for pride parade 2024 

2. Next Camrose Pride meeting set date: December 11, 2023. 

• Set up talking circle, plan pavement pounding for RHPS
• Socialize, community building, rest period 
• Casual chit-chat planning future events 
• Debrief from meeting with Jackie Lovely
• Party: goodies, veggies, lactose and gluten -free options
• Motion from Ray, Seconded by Teri and Megan

      3. Louis, Megan and Stephen website work: Fri Dec 1 at 5pm at library

6. Adjournment and check out: 

“Camrose Pride Community’s mission is to create space for wellness through providing opportunities for education, collaboration, and engagement.” 

Name one word that stands out to you in our mission statement or add your own.

Ray – Woooo!	Gus – Rocky Horror
Megan – fun	Louis – ye
Stephen – action	Teri – Rocky Horror
Stacey – Rocky Horror	Rose – accessibility

Camrose Pride – October Meeting

Date: Monday, October 16, 2023

Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm Place: ONLINE ZOOM And COMPOSITE SCHOOL

1. Call to order – confirm quorum – check in:

What is everybody’s capacity levels?

Green: I have capacity to do more than what I did this month towards Camrose Pride.

Yellow: The work so far has been manageable.

Red: The amount of work required of me this month caused me stress.

Megan – cochair – she/her – green / yellow

Kendra – health promotion AHS – yellow 

Teri – she / her – yellow – member at large, QSA at Composite

Ray – he/him – treasurer, tech support – yellow

Rose – she/her – secretary – green 

Nick – he/him – green

Steven – cochair – he/him – green

Gus – he/him – yellow

Brigette – she/her – yellow

2. Financial report

• Funding report: Emails sent out, nothing heard back
• Gus and Megan will meet Jackie Lovely and present library project
• Council Committee of the Whole – Oct 30 / Nov 2-4pm

• City hall, council of chambers 
• Megan, Gus and Stacey
• Goal: presentation of library project, funding $5,000 for promotion and program costs

• Camrose Community Grant (February application)
  • Arts & Culture 5,000 
  • Missed September application, will apply February
• Jaywalkers: 6 volunteers, $1,000, June first weekend 

3. Old business
4. New business
   1. Preview Days at Augustana Oct 21 – Teri and Ray will be present with our poster 

• Counter-protest: 1 Million March, “Hands off our Kids.” How to support our people tabling at Augustana. Unclear where the local protest will be; not specifically targeting Augustana; not worth energy. Hysteria > out of reach > fight or flight > not thinking 

2. Augustana Show of Transgender Solidarity (Lucas Crawford) 

• Share trans experiences in Camrose, honorarium 
• Early November

3. Trans and nonbinary lunch and learn (Natalie)

• Pamphlets and education on trans + nonbinary resources

4. Event planning for Camrose Pride at the Library

• Education – Gender and sexuality spectrums, religion

Currently:

• Facebook/Instagram activity, website
• Community registration night, mental health day: could be approached by townspeople with questions and knowledge-sharing
• Visible and present for connection 

Goals:

• Emphasize that there is a wide spectrum within the Rainbow Community, that we are not experts but are sharing experiences. Not political. Facts not emotions
• Health impact stats: suicide / ideation in LGBTQ+ kids dropping with education and support, home is not safe for some kids
• Educational blitz on social media at same time as 1 Million Children protests
• Office at social services to support with resources and rebuttals to fundamental religious arguments, sexual and social education. 
• Someone to call / hot-line, open coffee chats, reference sheets 
• Edmonton library + Augustana: human library that loans out people with different experiences (religion, rainbow spectrum) 
• Information on gender norms, social transitions, therapy, counselling, not overnight but a long + careful process

• Visibility – LGBTQ2SIA+ highly hidden in Camrose, addressing stigma
  • Pride events, pride month
  • BVJ parade float 
  • Advertise other community (other cities)’s events
  • Supportive businesses, classrooms, doctors, barber / hairstylists, massage therapists: sign, rainbow tag, stickers, QR codes
    • Discreet symbol on doors, or does this make these places a target? Stickers are already obvious, the places might not mind being visible
    • Design stickers with QR code link to our website
    • How to vet places? Bring to proven supportive / inclusive places? Apply to be on the safe list?
    • Haircut and style prices. Chatters is potentially charging based on length and cut not gender
    • Could provide educational opportunities
    • List safe spaces on website: library, Fox and Fable, FIKA, Sweeterie, Starbucks etc. 
• Networking – increase attendance at events
  • GSA success at library: different ages (children, teens, parents, adults)
    • Posted on socials day-of with photo of activity 
  • How to bring more people together and bring in more people 
  • Mingle at events, board members take active responsibility to sit with and include new people, help facilitate
  • Name, pronouns, fun fact as icebreaker 
• Activism – more prominent in community planning (with library)
• Spirituality – heart of community
  • Shame is processed in community, acceptance and pride
  • Gay people abused socially-sexually, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, discarded from community, not recognized
  • All life is spiritual, mental, emotional, physical. Holistic, embracing all parts of humanity
  • Spirituality beyond religious value. Reaffirm spirituality withing queer lens
  • Connection, belonging
  • Communal creativity: sing, create, dress up, decorate, meditate 

5. Standing items
   1. Donor for pride parade 2024
      1. Tracy Brandingen from Remax would pay for our parade insurance next July 780-781-0292 Tbrandingen@gmail.com
   2. Next Camrose Pride meeting set date: November 20, 2023
      1. Memoriam 
      2. 7pm-8pm start
   3. Updating website: Saturday November 4 @ Noon
6. Adjournment and check out:

“Camrose Pride Community’s mission is to create space for wellness through providing opportunities for education, collaboration, and engagement.”

Name one word that stands out to you in our mission statement or add your own.

Inclusive, Community, Excitement, Action, Community, Education, Progress, Healing, Commitment, Community 

To Do

• Design stickers with QR codes to bring to safe spaces
• Steven will update library resources to ensure accuracy 
• Rose can design zine with information from Stacey and Kendra (medical and nurse information) and from Louis (Camp Fyrefly, Gender / Sexuality Clinic at U of A): surface level, introductory facts on transitioning process (social, medical), information, resources, health care and outreach available in Central Alberta 
• Pamphlet on Big Issues: kids’ safety (mutilation, pedophiles), religious, health concerns: statistics
• Rose will reach out to Thea. United Church – Louis will ask Joanne Murphy. Stacey will reach out to: religious professors at Augustana: Joseph Weide, Kirsten Hyatt, Craig Wetland [chaplain], Ian Wilson. Gathering resources for religious LGBTQ+ people, rebuttals to fundamentalist arguments to create reference sheet, zine, pamphlet, social media post
• Teri will: Talk to teachers, counselors, principles, find ways to share info about safety for LGBTQ+ children in schools. Eric – diversity coordinator for BRSD. PD sessions, video, information sharing 
• Gus mentioned writing a letter to editor of Booster about CPC meeting about education, religion and trans issues 
• Megan will look into mental health support (LGBTQ counsellor in Camrose)
• Social media posts for education during counter-protests: need topics / information
• Next meeting, everyone will bring resources