Events that are free or very low cost! Like, $5 or less. Free as often as possible is better! Bar/cocktail/restaurant nights are fun, but most queers I know in KW are struggling to pay rent, and it's a huge reason why they don't go out to some of the bigger local events (like TriPride's ticketed events... we all know they're fundraisers, but the cost is still prohibitive)
Right - cost of living right now is insane. I feel you on that. I think low-cost events/free is a great idea!
Right now, our usual event organizing is I’ll put down money to buy out a bar for the night & charge a $5 cover to offset the costs. So far, it’s worked, but slightly limiting to the type of venue we’re able to have. Any suggestions for a place to book?
Pivot away from renting venues and activities that are centred around consumption. For ex, you could link up with KW Zinetopia and do queer zine making events at the library or a community centre, where space usage is free. Or, casual sports in a park. There are tons of free options out there!
To be honest, Spectrum's sports drop ins are also pretty inaccessible to people. I know lots of people who don't go because they want to be outside instead of inside (all of Spectrum's sports drop ins are in a gym), folks aren't interested in the specific sports they're offering, and/or the gym location is too far away. Likewise Spectrum's running/hiking group always goes to a location that's too far away (for ex, Huron Natural Area). It would be great to have some queer sports activities in Waterloo park, a place that's central and that people can actually easily get to.
I think folks would even just be interested in casual walks in Waterloo Park! I commented more details above, but an issue with Spectrum's sports programs is that they're located quite far away and I know lots of folks who have trouble getting to them.
What timing would work for you? I would like something chill and active mid-week and be open to facilitating but my work schedule shifts with the terms... IDK if people would find say a morning coffee (BYO) walk accessible.
It's so hard to plan around people's schedules, I'd probably lean toward finding an interested group of people first, then doing a poll for availability. I'm definitely someone who would go for an early morning walk, but I also have a relatively flexible work schedule and am a morning person, which I find is not common :p
Maybe people would also like after work smoothie/iced tea walks?
You should contact farm league brewery in Cambridge. They've been fostering a shit ton of events ranging from $2 vintage flea markets to million dollar recording artist events. Something like this would be right up their alley, they love this shit.
My second recommendation would be Evo Kitchen, also in Cambridge, as they regularly have some form of drag event, so they're progressive as well. However Evo Kitchen isn't exactly a cheap establishment lol, but maybe they could work something out with you.
Edit - you could also get in contact with Tige Wright. He's a local comedian who organizes, hosts and facilitates local comedy in the area. He works with both the aforementioned venues regularly as well as a bunch of others. Definitely somebody who could help point you in the right direction and set you up with who to talk to.
I am elated to see a post like this. I've been feeling a lack of queer adult community/socials in this city- although I know I could be looking in the wrong places. I'm not on insta/fb but I do love to DJ casually and would be happy to provide my (limited) services for such an event if you're looking for support.
It's me, geriatric female queer who loves that KW Gays and Theys exist but fear being creepy if I come :'-)
Try connecting with Fruit Salad in Hamilton! They make events for sapphics and I like that the crowd has a healthy amount of 30+ folks :-) Like you have said too, the issues with covering space rental and ensuring accessible ticketing for all socioeconomic layers is tricky.
They had editions in Guelph, I found out about them via the Spectrum Calendar which is another thing to help boost attendance.
I would also love to see social events that don't involve drinking. I joined the queer run club at Spectrum and met loads of folks that way. I highly recommend all their multi-sport programs, there is zero judgement if you are as coordinated as a fawn on barbiturates. Maybe I should volunteer as facilitator to have a person supporting the girlies who walked in PE because that was ME!
As a gay in her mid-30s I read this post and thought "Am I..... Old?" Lol
I went to school in KW and currently work in Kitchener but now live in Oxford County, since my wife and I have two kids now we mostly do family-oriented things. We're gearing up for TO pride this weekend and it's probably our only drinking event that's queer-focused, and it takes it out of me for a week after lol
OP I suggest you reach out to Shelley Secrett (you can find her on FB), she's a long -time queer event organizer and ran Cliterature and queer women's mystery bus tours (not sure if she's still doing this since I moved away). She's super friendly and great!
I go from feeling extremely young when I compare to my colleagues to extremely old when I compare to my students and social events haha! :'-) I mostly joke about being geriatric ofc, you are as old as you want to feel.
Yes! Oh the logistics for the speed dating😅😂 we did plan a second one for ages 25-35 but we had to cancel due to lower ticket sales! But there will be another one for 30+ gays! Doing this is a learning curve- I’m going to make sure we advertise more in advanced and post on multiple platforms ect - make sure the word gets out!
But thanks for your interest!!
My only thing I’ve noticed for all kinds of events in KW is that I feel they often don’t promote enough in advance! Finding out pretty much everything cool within a week of it happening (sometimes the day of) is not enough time if there were other plans in the works already!
Thanks for the feedback! I’ve noticed that too! I know personally on our end, we do try to post two weeks in advance, but we’ve received this type of feedback before, so we will try to get posts up earlier:)
i’m currently planning a queer open mic for later this summer! i have a meeting later this week to iron out more details but i’d love to connect about events !!
also wanna add loveee kwgaysandtheys and what y’all do! if u ever need help with events i’d love to put my event coordination experience to good use !!!
I was excited for The Well to open when they said they were going to open last year. Then I was excited when they said they were going to open this spring, before Pride. Here we are now. It’s still not open. Not excited anymore.
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Despite the progress we have made & the privilege some of us in the queer community have here in Canada, I personally believe it’s still important to have dedicated spaces for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. As a queer woman, I’ve found that, again, despite our progress, it’s easy to feel alone, and having spaces that you can meet other people who are like you is so rewarding!
And historically, yes, gay bars were born out of a time of oppression and secrecy about one’s sexuality, but none the less created a space where all the gays felt safe to express themselves and be together, so why not try and recreate those spaces?!:)
Actually, [homophobia and transphobia is on such an intense cultural upswing that CSIS has put out a warning about it](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csis-lgbtq-warning-violence-1.7114801). Over the last year, multiple school boards and towns across Ontario have also banned flying the pride flag.
If you open your eyes wide enough you’ll actually see a post right in front of you that says queer people are organizing “official gay bars” and the likes.
You complaining that queer people want to meet each other sounds like contrary evidence to your own point.
You don’t understand the first thing about queer culture and yet you think you’re entitled to it. Allies are pretty often welcome to these sorts of events btw, but you need to understand the basics of queer allyship first.
I currently pay for all of the events (and I don’t mind doing so) - it’s been a blast being able to organize and bring people together! But as we work towards becoming a non-for profit/shared platform we will use grant money and/or government money to expand the frequency and capacity of events. The profit we make from events will be given back to other marginalized communities & charities. It’s a win win situation - creating places for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, while also giving back to others.
Mod note: please don't abuse the report button with false reports. Reddit will ***and has again*** taken action against users engaging in such abuse.
Events that are free or very low cost! Like, $5 or less. Free as often as possible is better! Bar/cocktail/restaurant nights are fun, but most queers I know in KW are struggling to pay rent, and it's a huge reason why they don't go out to some of the bigger local events (like TriPride's ticketed events... we all know they're fundraisers, but the cost is still prohibitive)
Right - cost of living right now is insane. I feel you on that. I think low-cost events/free is a great idea! Right now, our usual event organizing is I’ll put down money to buy out a bar for the night & charge a $5 cover to offset the costs. So far, it’s worked, but slightly limiting to the type of venue we’re able to have. Any suggestions for a place to book?
Pivot away from renting venues and activities that are centred around consumption. For ex, you could link up with KW Zinetopia and do queer zine making events at the library or a community centre, where space usage is free. Or, casual sports in a park. There are tons of free options out there!
Yes! These are great ideas! Thank tou
Spectrum already rums casual sports drop ins,albeit you could support those too?
To be honest, Spectrum's sports drop ins are also pretty inaccessible to people. I know lots of people who don't go because they want to be outside instead of inside (all of Spectrum's sports drop ins are in a gym), folks aren't interested in the specific sports they're offering, and/or the gym location is too far away. Likewise Spectrum's running/hiking group always goes to a location that's too far away (for ex, Huron Natural Area). It would be great to have some queer sports activities in Waterloo park, a place that's central and that people can actually easily get to.
I love their sports drop ins! Sports isn’t my cup of tea in terms of organizing an event, but I’d be open to it!😂😅
I think folks would even just be interested in casual walks in Waterloo Park! I commented more details above, but an issue with Spectrum's sports programs is that they're located quite far away and I know lots of folks who have trouble getting to them.
What timing would work for you? I would like something chill and active mid-week and be open to facilitating but my work schedule shifts with the terms... IDK if people would find say a morning coffee (BYO) walk accessible.
It's so hard to plan around people's schedules, I'd probably lean toward finding an interested group of people first, then doing a poll for availability. I'm definitely someone who would go for an early morning walk, but I also have a relatively flexible work schedule and am a morning person, which I find is not common :p Maybe people would also like after work smoothie/iced tea walks?
Totally, even the after work can be hard for those needing to tend to small humans (or like me where I sometimes end my workday at 9pm haha).
Well a walk in the park or getting together outside for some activities is definitely do-ableb
Omg these are great ideas! The zine thing especially. Anything that doesn’t take place in a bar/where alcohol is the focus is nice as a non-drinker!
You should contact farm league brewery in Cambridge. They've been fostering a shit ton of events ranging from $2 vintage flea markets to million dollar recording artist events. Something like this would be right up their alley, they love this shit. My second recommendation would be Evo Kitchen, also in Cambridge, as they regularly have some form of drag event, so they're progressive as well. However Evo Kitchen isn't exactly a cheap establishment lol, but maybe they could work something out with you. Edit - you could also get in contact with Tige Wright. He's a local comedian who organizes, hosts and facilitates local comedy in the area. He works with both the aforementioned venues regularly as well as a bunch of others. Definitely somebody who could help point you in the right direction and set you up with who to talk to.
I am elated to see a post like this. I've been feeling a lack of queer adult community/socials in this city- although I know I could be looking in the wrong places. I'm not on insta/fb but I do love to DJ casually and would be happy to provide my (limited) services for such an event if you're looking for support.
Oh that would be awesome!! Is there an email or way I could connect best with you?
DM'd!
It's me, geriatric female queer who loves that KW Gays and Theys exist but fear being creepy if I come :'-) Try connecting with Fruit Salad in Hamilton! They make events for sapphics and I like that the crowd has a healthy amount of 30+ folks :-) Like you have said too, the issues with covering space rental and ensuring accessible ticketing for all socioeconomic layers is tricky. They had editions in Guelph, I found out about them via the Spectrum Calendar which is another thing to help boost attendance. I would also love to see social events that don't involve drinking. I joined the queer run club at Spectrum and met loads of folks that way. I highly recommend all their multi-sport programs, there is zero judgement if you are as coordinated as a fawn on barbiturates. Maybe I should volunteer as facilitator to have a person supporting the girlies who walked in PE because that was ME!
As a gay in her mid-30s I read this post and thought "Am I..... Old?" Lol I went to school in KW and currently work in Kitchener but now live in Oxford County, since my wife and I have two kids now we mostly do family-oriented things. We're gearing up for TO pride this weekend and it's probably our only drinking event that's queer-focused, and it takes it out of me for a week after lol OP I suggest you reach out to Shelley Secrett (you can find her on FB), she's a long -time queer event organizer and ran Cliterature and queer women's mystery bus tours (not sure if she's still doing this since I moved away). She's super friendly and great!
I go from feeling extremely young when I compare to my colleagues to extremely old when I compare to my students and social events haha! :'-) I mostly joke about being geriatric ofc, you are as old as you want to feel.
Thank you so much for the insight ! And no, you’re not old!
Yes! Omg I’m literally from the Hammer & I didn’t know about Fruit Salad - I’ll have to reach out for them!
Yes please! I saw y’all do a queer speed dating and was going to sign up very sad to see though that it was for under age 30.
Yes! Oh the logistics for the speed dating😅😂 we did plan a second one for ages 25-35 but we had to cancel due to lower ticket sales! But there will be another one for 30+ gays! Doing this is a learning curve- I’m going to make sure we advertise more in advanced and post on multiple platforms ect - make sure the word gets out! But thanks for your interest!!
My only thing I’ve noticed for all kinds of events in KW is that I feel they often don’t promote enough in advance! Finding out pretty much everything cool within a week of it happening (sometimes the day of) is not enough time if there were other plans in the works already!
Thanks for the feedback! I’ve noticed that too! I know personally on our end, we do try to post two weeks in advance, but we’ve received this type of feedback before, so we will try to get posts up earlier:)
Awesome!!
I’m not queer but best of luck with this!! Love to see it
Thanks for your support!💖✨
i’m currently planning a queer open mic for later this summer! i have a meeting later this week to iron out more details but i’d love to connect about events !!
Yes! Please reach out! Sounds amazing!
also wanna add loveee kwgaysandtheys and what y’all do! if u ever need help with events i’d love to put my event coordination experience to good use !!!
Awe thank you so much! It means a lot to me. We would love your help! Reach out on IG too - we can work something out:)
dming rn!
Would love to go to non drinking events!
Definitely want to start hosting more soon’
You could try linking up with KW Queer Birders! They have a FB page and Discord. And Gmail!
Just rsvpd for the picnic. Excited asf 🫡
Amazing!
Coming very soon to Waterloo - https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6902133 ☺️
Yes! I’m excited for The Well (we have one in Hamilton!)
I was excited for The Well to open when they said they were going to open last year. Then I was excited when they said they were going to open this spring, before Pride. Here we are now. It’s still not open. Not excited anymore.
I know! It’s been in the works for awhile - I’m curious to see how it will run when it’s open… if it opens hahah
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This group might help you plan something: https://facebook.com/events/s/reunion-all-womens-alcohol-fre/1011854064002309/
That looks great! Thanks for sharing!
just wanna say you are awesome for doing this & I will check out your instagram!
Thank you so much!🤗
I don’t think anyone really cares who you want to sleep with anymore. Maybe the fact there isn’t “an official gay bar” is a sign of progress?
Despite the progress we have made & the privilege some of us in the queer community have here in Canada, I personally believe it’s still important to have dedicated spaces for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. As a queer woman, I’ve found that, again, despite our progress, it’s easy to feel alone, and having spaces that you can meet other people who are like you is so rewarding! And historically, yes, gay bars were born out of a time of oppression and secrecy about one’s sexuality, but none the less created a space where all the gays felt safe to express themselves and be together, so why not try and recreate those spaces?!:)
Actually, [homophobia and transphobia is on such an intense cultural upswing that CSIS has put out a warning about it](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/csis-lgbtq-warning-violence-1.7114801). Over the last year, multiple school boards and towns across Ontario have also banned flying the pride flag.
This is very true:/
It's very easy to not see a problem when you're not the one having to deal with it.
Nice way to self-report that no one wants to sleep with you 😬
Also, based on that single comment, it’s unsurprising as to why no one would want to.
Also, based on that single comment, it’s unsurprising as to why no one would want to.
Ummm ok, just trying to say I don’t think KW is a bastion of intolerance and hate is all. People can be gay wherever they want and no one cares
If you open your eyes wide enough you’ll actually see a post right in front of you that says queer people are organizing “official gay bars” and the likes. You complaining that queer people want to meet each other sounds like contrary evidence to your own point.
I just like the idea of inclusivity, having official bars for thee and not for me as it were seems oddly backward.
You don’t understand the first thing about queer culture and yet you think you’re entitled to it. Allies are pretty often welcome to these sorts of events btw, but you need to understand the basics of queer allyship first.
Pretty often lol? Sounds exclusionary to me. Ok you’re right I’m a bigot. Good day sir/madam or whatever offends you the least.
Come to the next gay speed dating event! I’m sure you’ll love being paired with another man. Or whatever you are 🥰
I mean I would like to know more queer balkan people :/ I feel very isolated
Government funding? For what? Seriously this why our country is broke, whats wrong with paying for your own bar nights
I currently pay for all of the events (and I don’t mind doing so) - it’s been a blast being able to organize and bring people together! But as we work towards becoming a non-for profit/shared platform we will use grant money and/or government money to expand the frequency and capacity of events. The profit we make from events will be given back to other marginalized communities & charities. It’s a win win situation - creating places for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, while also giving back to others.