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Summit 2024: Vigilance & Vision
Canada is on a precipice. With a federal election on the horizon, harbouring the potential of a massive political regime change, queer and trans communities face the possibilities of harsh funding cuts and renewed debates about what it means for us to live, love, and access health care.
Beyond these threats, a chilling effect which dampens support for our communities sweeps across the nation. Anti-2S/LGBTQIA+ extremist and populist movements have become more vocal and organized in lobbying disinformation and scare tactics to create the misperception that the progress 2S/LGBTQIA+ people seek in public policies—such as health care and education—to make society more inclusive and affirming for all are inherently harmful to the general public.
This could not be further from the truth. The significant gains that queer and trans activists have fought for have improved health and wellness for many within and beyond our communities. When we make systems safer and more supportive for 2S/LGBTQIA+ people, they become safer and more supportive for everyone.
Yet decision-makers and practitioners continue to fall for and pursue false narratives concerning gender-affirming care, sex education, substance use, reproductive care, HIV and STIs, and many other issues that deeply impact us. This has been especially true concerning trans and gender-diverse people who have been made the latest target of hate campaigns. Even those who identify as allies are turning away for fear of blowback, retribution, and condemnation.
But this doesn’t have to be how our story goes. By coming together, building coalitions, and making noise, we can better recentre ourselves in conversations about our health and wellbeing to help correct the narrative. It is in this spirit that we invite you to join Summit 2024.
This Summit, we want to highlight Two-Spirit, queer, and trans people who are taking back control of our community’s narrative and care—leading research, developing resources, and delivering programs designed by and for 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities. We want to uplift and celebrate each other and bring joy to work that can too often exhaust so many of us. We want to find new ways to synergize and propel forward our intersecting movements: anti-racism, anti-colonialism, disability justice, and more. And we want to champion new, creative ways of reaching the members of our communities with health solutions—and generating innovative solutions.
After all, this is not just about holding the line. We want to advance our position, making life better for all 2S/LGBTQIA+ people. Defiance must be met with innovation, and frustration with optimism. At Summit 2024, it’s time we take back our stories.
Information on Summit 2024
CBRC’s annual knowledge exchange and capacity building conference on 2S/LGBTQIA+ health research, programming, and advocacy in Canada takes place in Vancouver on November 21-22, 2024 at the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel.
The Summit aims to promote 2S/LGBTQIA+ health care, research, and social services, as well as share best practice applications of, and new research informing 2S/LGBTQIA+ culturally responsive health care. As well, this forum is a space to build the capacities of health care providers, researchers, and community members to address issues in 2S/LGBTQIA+ health. In addition, the Summit aims to bring folks together to develop and improve networks of 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities working to strengthen the health and wellbeing of our communities, by facilitating dialogue around current research and advocacy work happening in these communities.
Summit 2024 is an in-person conference, with select plenary and concurrent sessions available for participation via livestream, and viewable after the conference on our Summit content library.
A limited number of scholarships will be made available for confirmed Summit 2024 presenters, including support for transportation and accommodation costs, as well as discounted registration fees. If you require financial support to present at the Summit, please be sure to indicate this in the proposal submission form.
Keynote Speakers
CBRC is thrilled to announce our keynote speakers for Summit 2024!
Celeste Trianon is a transfeminine jurist and activist, working both throughout Québec and across Canada. The founder of her own legal clinic, she creates resources to both educate the general public on trans people's state of affairs, and to support her own community. Often a front-line activist, she dreams of a world in which "justice" isn't a theoretical concept, but rather something we all can live through.
Dr. Gbolahan "GB" Olarewaju is a second-year Public Health and Preventative Medicine resident at the University of British Columbia. Prior to medical school, he supported the work of 2SLGBTQIA+ health-focused organizations including YouthCo HIV and Hep C Society and CBRC, and worked as the Vancouver coordinator for the Momentum and Engage studies. He was the inaugural Chair of the Black Medical Students Association of Canada (BMSAC) where he successfully advocated for medical education reform in the areas of admission, curriculum and accountability.
Dr. Olarewaju considers himself an academic activist. His work focuses on the experiences of Black medical students in Canada, the impact of HIV stigma on immigrant women, and the ways race-based medicine impacts health outcomes as a collaborator on the Canada-US Coalition to End Race Correction in Healthcare (CU-CERCH). As a queer Black immigrant, his primary drivers in public health are health promotion and protection for those pushed to the margins of society.
Jaylene Tyme is a proud Two-Spirit, sober Indigenous Trans woman and leader within the 2SLGBTQQIA+ and recovery community. A Sixties Scoop survivor, she was raised by settlers with ancestral family roots in Treaty 4 - Zagimē Anishinabek First Nation, Kawacatoose First Nation and Métis Nation, Green Lake Saskatchewan.
As a member of Vancouver's diverse and fabulous Drag community, Jaylene holds the title of Elder Princess 27 of the Greater Vancouver Native Cultural Society, Empress 35 of Vancouver BC, Czarina of the First Nations of Canada and presently serves as Chairperson of the International Court Council - first in line of succession - Heir Apparent to Queen Mother I of the Americas Empress Nicole the Great.
Jaylene is a Research Coordinator with CBRC’s Two-Spirit Program. She also contributes to Indigenous healing ceremonies for the Two-Spirit population of Federal Justice System Corrections and has shared teachings for Canadian Government training on diversity, inclusion and reconciliation.
Theodore (ted) Kerr is an Edmonton born, New York based writer and organizer. He is the co-author of the book, We Are Having This Conversation Now: The Times of AIDS Cultural Production, and a founding member of the collective, What Would an HIV Doula Do?.
For the US National Libraries of Medicine he curated the travelling exhibition, AIDS, Posters and Public Health: A People’s History, which is also available to view online. He also worked as an oral historian for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institute project, Visual Arts and the AIDS Epidemic.
Registration
Registration to attend Summit 2024 (November 21-22) is required. For more information and to register, click here.
We’re approaching in-person registration capacity for Summit 2024. Please click here if you would like to be added onto the wait list. For free livestream registration, click here.
Conference Fees
- 2 Day Regular Delegate*: $700
- 2 Day Non-profit, Students and Charitable Organizations: $400
* Regular Delegate includes healthcare service providers, representatives of government agencies, other professionals, etc.
To reserve a guest room at the Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, please use this unique link: http://coa.st/CommunityBasedResearchCentre2024AnnualHealthSummit
To book a discounted flight (5-10%) with Air Canada, the preferred airline for this year’s Summit, access aircanada.com and enter the below promotion code in the Promotion Code Box.
Promotion Code: RJJARGT1
About Submitting a Proposal to Summit 2024
We’re excited to announce that Summit 2024 will be taking place on November 21st and 22nd in Vancouver, BC.
Each year, CBRC brings together diverse voices, impactful research, and innovative strategies to improve health outcomes for 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities. Whether your work is in community health promotion, research, or grassroots advocacy, we want to hear from you.
We welcome submissions from individuals, organizations, and experts across various disciplines, including healthcare providers, researchers, Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, community activists, and policymakers. This is your opportunity to showcase your work and offer practical strategies to transform healthcare for queer individuals in your community. At Summit 2024, you can engage, educate, and empower participants to influence the future of 2S/LGBTQIA+ health.
First-time presenters are encouraged to apply. If you need assistance preparing your proposal, please contact us at [email protected].
Important Dates:
- Proposal submission is now closed.
- Notification of acceptance: End of August 2024
To read our full submission guidelines, please click here.
We look forward to your submissions!
Accessibility Statement
CBRC is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible Summit in order to support participation for everyone. This commitment includes:
- offering full and partial scholarships for confirmed Summit presenters,
- providing free livestream access for remote participation in selected plenary and concurrent sessions,
- enabling simultaneous interpretation and captioning services (in-person and online),
- offering support to potential Summit 2024 proposal submission authors, and
- ensuring that conference proceedings and ancillary/social events are fully accessible for people with physical disabilities (e.g. wheelchair access, reserved front row seating).
Though we are doing our best to enable everyone’s participation during the Summit, we recognize that some needs may not be met through these measures. If you have other accessibility needs which have not been addressed through this statement, please let us know when completing your registration.
If you have questions or comments regarding accessibility for Summit 2024, please contact [email protected].
Community Guidelines
Our shared commitment to queer and trans health is part of what brings us together at Summit each year. In response to feedback from participants, we have introduced community guidelines to help us build a safer, supportive, and inclusive space. These guidelines include our expectations for how we treat each other within this space. We ask that you please:
- Respect personal experiences. In many cases, presenters, moderators, facilitators, and participants share their personal experiences as part of the Summit. We know these personal experiences are powerful in shaping our understanding of the world around us. The experiences, and the words that the person uses to describe them, are not up for debate or disagreement.
- Follow guidelines from presenters, moderators, and facilitators. Summit welcomes many presenters and guests each year, and there are a variety of session types, each with different possibilities for participation. Throughout Summit, follow the specific guidelines for each presentation about confidentiality and participation (e.g., posting comments or questions). Most sessions will be recorded and published online in our content library after the Summit. If you have any concerns about being included in a recorded session, please contact us at [email protected].
- Share the space! Many of us have lots to say about the topics we will be considering. During questions and conversations, our team will prioritize first-time attendees, those who have not yet spoken, and people who identify as a peer to the topic being discussed. We will do our best to ensure as many people as possible join the discussion. When participating in the live chat during an online presentation, please ask your question or make your comment once, and our team will be sure to pass them on to the presenters.
- Participate from a place of learning and with an open mind. We all have something to learn from the Summit program, as well as things we can teach others. As a participant, you will play a key role in pushing discussions forward, asking questions, and building your capacity to enact change in your own local community.
- Presentations will be in the language preferred by the presenter(s)/speaker(s). All plenary and keynote sessions will include live interpretation. Live interpretation will also be available for one out of the three presentations per concurrent session.
Racism, transphobia, biphobia, sexism, homophobia, ableism, anti-Semitism, classism, fatphobia, Islamophobia, and other forms of discrimination or hate speech, as well as intimidation and personal attacks, are not permitted. Our team will address any of these instances immediately and will remove any participant who behaves in this way.
Content Note and Accessing Support: The Summit will cover a range of topics, including many that may bring up harmful, traumatic, violent, or isolating experiences. These topics include racism, anti-Black violence, sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts, criminalization of people living with HIV, suicide, addiction, sexualized violence, cissexism, and colonization.
We recognize that these kinds of presentations may be emotionally taxing for Black folks, Indigenous Peoples, and people of colour (BIPOC). We encourage participants to reach out to the counselling and mental health professionals that have partnered with Summit to process any of the content, feelings, or experiences it brings up. We also encourage participants to choose whether or not to attend sessions based on their content.
About Summit
The Summit is CBRC’s annual national knowledge exchange and capacity building conference on the health of 2S/LGBTQIA+ people. Since 2005, the Summit has brought together researchers, service providers, community members, and organizations from across Canada to share the latest in queer and trans health research, programming, services, and advocacy. While the Summit has historically focused on addressing the impacts of HIV and sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) on gay, bisexual, trans, Two-Spirit, and queer (GBT2Q) people, in recent years the conference has made intentional shifts to become a more inclusive space to engage with 2S/LGBTQIA+ community-based research, health promotion, and advocacy.
Seeking Volunteers!
Community-Based Research Centre’s annual 2S/LGBTQIA+ health conference, Summit, is fast approaching, and we need your help!
Volunteers are needed in Vancouver on November 17 (from 2 PM - 6 PM) to assist with packing swag bags and assembling badges, and at the conference itself on November 21 & 22 for a variety of roles, including registration, wayfinding/general ushering, session ushering, and supporting the distribution of simultaneous interpretation devices (parlez-vous français? magnifique!).
On November 21st and 22nd, morning, mid-day, and afternoon shifts are available. Each shift is 3-5 hours long.
For role details, available shifts and to express interest in volunteering at Summit, please contact Heather Wong-Mitchell at [email protected] with the subject line “Summit Volunteer - Your First and Last Name”
Being COVID-19 Conscious at Summit 2024
Summit is committed to supporting our communities in preventing the spread of COVID-19, recognizing our planning and logistical limitations. We encourage all attendees to be mindful of their health and the safety of others.
Please Stay Home If:
- You are feeling unwell or experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, sore throat, etc.).
- You have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
To support this, we offer full registration refunds, no questions asked, if you cannot attend due to illness or exposure. Please prioritize your health and the safety of others.
Health and Safety Recommendations:
We encourage participants to make the best decisions for their health, with consideration for others. CBRC recommends the following measures to keep yourself and others safe, though these measures will not be required.
- Wear a Mask: We recommend that attendees wear high-quality, properly fitting masks that cover both the nose and mouth. If you forget yours or need a replacement, complimentary KN95 masks will be available at the registration desk.
- Vaccination: We strongly recommend that attendees be fully vaccinated and recently boosted against COVID-19, and receive the seasonal influenza shot. Consult your physician about the best course and timing of vaccinations before traveling and attending large gatherings. For more information, visit the Government of Canada’s website.
- Hand Sanitizers: Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the venue. We encourage everyone to sanitize their hands frequently.
- Self-Screening: Consider completing a self-screening before attending the event (no more than 24 hours in advance).
- Rapid Tests: Complimentary rapid COVID-19 tests will be available at the registration table.
Coast Coal Harbour Hotel COVID-19 Protocols
- Current Guidelines: The hotel does not have specific COVID-19 protocols in place, as there are currently no provincewide restrictions on travel, gatherings, or events in BC. However, the hotel continues to offer hand sanitizer to guests.
Hotel HVAC Information
- Each conference room is connected to a central HVAC system that brings in fresh air through the "make-up air" system.
- The HVAC system is regularly inspected and undergoes maintenance, including filter changes every quarter.
- The hotel uses MERV 8 filters, which help improve air quality by trapping dust and other particles.
Thank you for your consideration and cooperation in supporting a safe and successful Summit 2024.
Summit 2024 Sponsors
Summit 2024 is made possible through the support of our Summit Presenting Partner, Gilead and our Summit Presenting Sponsor, ViiV Healthcare.
This event was also made possible through the support of Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Government of Canada agencies including Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Health Canada, Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), and Heritage Canada.
