President’s Message from 2025 AGM (held May 2026)

I continue to be impressed with what Toronto Pflag accomplishes with the small but dedicated group of board members and volunteers we have and I’m glad to have the opportunity to highlight some of that work now.

The most high-profile example at the moment is our participation in Pride, which again is being led by our Events Coordinator, Drew. He’s supported by Eve, who’s applying her excellent project management skills to the volunteer component of our biggest event. She’s also leading an initiative to formalize processes and procedures, not only for Pride but for the entire Toronto Pflag organization. Our Pride participation would not be complete without the Family Pride booth and I’m grateful that we have Monika to lead this for us, with her unwavering dedication and enthusiasm.

In recent months, we have reconstituted our Marketing function, represented on the board by Joanne, and led by Leah. On this team, we are fortunate to have Erin continue contributing her design creativity and expertise, along with Hannah, who has joined to help reinvigorate our social media presence.

The theme for Pride in 2026 is “We won’t stop.” This resonates with me and I’m sure with everyone on this call. Toronto Pflag’s track record demonstrates this and you don’t have to look any further than our Support function for an example.

We hold four peer support meetings each month, both in person and virtually, and in the more than five years I’ve been attending, I’ve only seen one meeting cancelled. Given that we’re a 100% volunteer-run organization, that’s an impressive record. Everyone involved balances their Toronto Pflag commitments with personal, family, and professional lives, which they do generously and with integrity and I want to recognize them tonight.

Starting with our general support function, we must acknowledge that it could not function without board member and Support Coordinator Ren, the first person those seeking our help encounter. In addition to the initiative and creativity she brings to the work, Ren is unfailingly empathetic. I would say the same about board member Giselle, who supports Dads Night and TRANSceptance in the same way. In addition, she has also been a mentor to both Ren and me in our Support work.

Toronto Pflag is fortunate to have a roster of support meeting facilitators and volunteers that also deserve recognition: At Dads Night, we have Alan, Joel, Chris, and board member Drew. For general support meetings in addition to me and Giselle, we have been fortunate to add Ingrid to the facilitator roster and she’s doing great work. We’re also very pleased to be associated with TRANSceptance, led by Giselle, and supported by Kathy, Bev, Laurie and me. In these times, parents and caregivers of transgender kids are in extra need of support, and we’re proud to help keep this meeting going.

In addition to our meetings, we have revised how we provide phone support and expanded the roster of people who are generously offering their time and experience. Overseen by Ren, these dedicated folks include: Giselle, Drew, Ingrid, Jaden, Jane, Jenny, Lisa L, Marla, Monika, Bex, Joel, and Kevin.

Before moving on, I think it’s important to acknowledge how much of our support function is emotional work. From the initial outreach to the personal interactions, our volunteers bolster and encourage parents so they can, in turn, advocate for their kids. Our volunteers help to hold up this beautiful community, championing the family members and friends who put their faith and trust in us, and who make our lives richer by allowing us to share in them.

We also owe a special shout-out to our new Secretary, Simon, who joined the board at the last AGM. Simon has been volunteering during Pride for the past few years, lending his photography skills and jumping in wherever he sees a need. Although he’s new to the board, Simon has taken on the secretarial functions that keep our monthly board and Annual General meetings running smoothly. He’s been mentored along by our indispensable treasurer, David, another board member who has gone above and beyond his role. In addition to managing Toronto Pflag’s financial affairs, David has provided governance oversight critical to keeping the organization in compliance with our regulatory obligations, without which we couldn’t continue.

Anyone who’s known me for more than a day has heard me talk about how important and rewarding this work is. What began as a journey of education so I could support my own loved one has become a calling. I will never forget the initial months of feeling lost, isolated, and incompetent as I struggled to learn relevant terminology and concepts, and unlearn the misinformation I accepted as fact. I had to identify and then overcome biases I had internalized unconsciously. All the while I was learning I had to start advocating, even though I didn’t feel ready.

Yet as challenging as it was for us in Oklahoma back in 2015, I never dreamed that in the coming decade we’d be dealing with the social regression, hostility, and intolerance we’re facing today. What we’re dealing with goes beyond what people euphemistically might call “political differences”. What we’re dealing with is a well funded, strategic, and dedicated campaign of hate wrapped in the disingenuous cloaks of “religious freedom” and “protecting children and women”.

This makes the work we do all the more critical. We live in a time when we cannot count on our laws and governments to adequately support and protect the trans community specifically and the queer community more broadly. Yes, Canadians can point to our Charter and Human Rights Codes as examples of codified protection, but on the ground, the world is much different. Our transgender friends & family in the United States are under active, relentless attack and the bigotry they are living with - or fleeing - is emboldening those same elements in Canadian society, causing our queer community to live in with increased vigilance and heightened anxiety. Here in Toronto, queer kids are being bullied in school and Toronto Pflag has seen our invitations for school presentations drop to almost nothing.

So no, we won’t stop. Toronto Pflag will not stop providing a safe space and support for the entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community, their parents, family, friends, and allies. We will not stop supporting and educating parents so they in turn can stand up for their kids.

Let’s go into this Pride season remembering its origins in protest, uprising, and advocacy. Let’s wave our newly branded placards high and celebrate this amazing community and the families who support them.