Non-profit raising funds to finish 2SLGBTQIA+ community centre in Vancouver

Exposed metal supports and barren slabs belie the warmth which is soon to become the hallmark of an under-construction state-of-the-art community centre, dedicated to providing a refuge for Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Saturday was National Coming Out Day, and Qmunity, a local non-profit, marked the day by ‘coming out’ with a campaign raising funds to put the finishing touches on the facility.

Campaign Chair Sid Koshul says it’s been a dream to open the centre for decades.

“It’s honestly a visual statement. As you see, we’re here at the corner of Davie and Burrard [streets]. It’s a prominent intersection. It’s a statement of what our shared values are as a province; it’s a reminder that queer and trans people do belong here, and there’s a safe space for you to come when sometimes it feels like there’s nowhere else to go,” said Koshul.

Qmunity says, with 15,000 people accessing its services last year, it’s past time to invest in new infrastructure.

“The current space that they’re operating out of, at Davie and Bute [streets], was supposed to be temporary. That was 40 years ago,” he explained.

“It’s honestly deteriorating. And, more importantly, it’s inaccessible: you have to walk up a flight of creaky stairs to get up there.”

Qmunity organizers say a space like the one they’re creating is more crucial than ever.

“I think ‘under attack’ is a nice way of saying it,” said Anoop Gill, Qmunity’s executive director.

“We’re seeing it online, and now we’re seeing it in schools, in grocery stores, in employment.”

Earlier in the week, transgender youth were again in politicians’ crosshairs, with a private member’s bill brought forward by the two-person One BC party, which aimed to ban puberty blockers and make it legal to retroactively sue a doctor for up to 25 years after providing gender transition treatments.

NDP Deputy Premier Niki Sharma called it a “sad day in B.C.” when the bill came to the Legislature.

“Conservative politicians are trying to dictate what parents should be doing and decisions they should be making with love and support for their children, and we’re picking on vulnerable children,” Sharma said.

The bill was defeated before it made it to first reading, but advocates say it speaks to a rise in hate that is having real impacts on the community — especially on youth.

“Queer and trans youth are disproportionately at higher rates when it comes to suicidal ideation; higher rates of youth homelessness; higher rates of food insecurity,” said Gill.

Qmunity says it’s hopeful the space and services it provides will be able to help turn the tide and create a new home for those who need one.

The new centre is expected to open in 2027.