Allies In Action
Wed, Sept 24, 6pm PT / 7pm MT / 9pm ET
Online - Register for Meeting Link
Join us for a special panel featuring change-makers from across the country who are living out 2SLGBTQIA+ social justice and allyship in creative and effective ways.
>> Click the photo arrows to learn more about our guests!
An Anatomy of Accountable Communities
Public Lecture - All Are Welcome
DATE: Friday, October 3, 7pm-9pm
LOCATION: Alexandra Centre Society - Concert Hall, 922 - 9 Ave SE, Calgary
What comes after the callout? How can communities better support accountability and justice when someone known and trusted does something unacceptable?
Led by Jae Lin (they/them), Founder and Executive Director of ReSpec, an accountability support project that guides individuals who have caused harm towards understanding, responsibility, and change.
This lecture invites all of us to take stock of our community-based skills in addressing harm in ways that better foster transformation.
We'll ground ourselves in understanding what doesn’t work about disposability, incarceration, cancelling, and isolating when it comes to the goal of preventing future harm. And together, we’ll look at the tangible requirements of accountability, identify barriers to change, and share skills and approaches towards lowering those barriers and encouraging transformation.
TICKETS: Pay What You Want - Ticket Value is $25. Anyone and any amount is welcome.
This event and series are proudly co-presented by Calgary Outlink and Affirming Connections.
Compassionate Accountability Workshop
DATE: Saturday, October 4, 3pm-4:30pm
LOCATION: *NEW * Community Wise Space, 200 - 2710 17th Avenue SE, Calgary
Can someone who has hurt others, even repeatedly, actually change? What comes after the call out? What can someone do if they’ve been called problematic, but aren’t totally sure why? Or, after losing friends, jobs, and networks, how does a person move forward if they want to become someone who won’t cause that type of harm again?
Led by Jae Lin (they/them), Founder and Executive Director of ReSpec, an accountability support project that guides individuals who have caused harm towards understanding, responsibility, and change. This workshop aims to share the skills, experiences, and frameworks ReSpec has developed to balance compassion and accountability, foster transformation, and genuinely interrupt cycles of violence.
TICKETS: Pay What You Want (Ticket Value $45). Anyone and any amount is welcome. Only 35 spots!
This event and series are proudly co-presented by Calgary Outlink and Affirming Connections.
Save the Date: Nov 15, 2025
Affirming Leaders Day – online only!
Join Lucas Wilson (author, editor, post-doctoral fellow) and Tyler Babiy (queer content creator, social media strategist) and other featured speakers for a day of learning, connection, and inspiration at the intersection of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, faith, and social justice.
Full line-up and tickets coming soon!
2025 Citywide Pride Interfaith Service
Watch the 7th Annual Citywide Pride Interfaith Service! Proudly presented by Affirming Connections and Calgary’s Network of Affirming Faith Communities.
View the Citywide Pride Interfaith Service on our YouTube channel here!
Our 2025 theme was Stitched Together: A Patchwork of Pride. This celebrates our individual and collective beauty, and the wonderful things that happen when we bring all of our own unique threads together. Special Guests included: Kait Hatch, Mizze Walker, and Mickey Wilson!
Community Safety Training
Recording available
This practical and relevant workshop (recorded from the live event on June 3, 2025) teaches ways to protect yourself and marginalized communities at protests and events, through effective de-escalation and creative nonviolence. Enhance your safety and self-defense toolbelt.
Led by experienced Community Protection Facilitator, and Head of Security at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Aidan McKendrick!
Speak up for trans youth!
The majority of Canadians agree that ALL people deserve access to healthcare, education, safety, and respect, including trans youth. Freedom is an illusion unless it also means freedom for everyone, and freedom from discrimination.
Let's grab the megaphone, spread love, and show that the Canada we envision is a place where everyone is welcome to be who they are, without fear.
Click here to download MY CANADA and MY ALBERTA images and sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our website to stay in touch!
For a list of topical resources on the latest 2SLGBTQ+ issues in Canada, click here!
Queer Interfaith Coalition
The Queer Interfaith Coalition (QIC) and its Affirming allies are reclaiming the religious voice from those who have sought to weaponize faith. We believe that all 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals are created in the Divine Image and that advocacy for their human rights is not antithetical to faith, but a central tenet of our religious faiths.
To learn more and sign onto our open letter, visit our page here.
Join our United Against Hate campaign!
Affirming Connections stands in support of drag performers, trans, gender diverse, Two Spirit and LGBTQIA+ communities across Canada.
We have seen an apparent rise in malicious misinformation, conspiracy theories, threats, and violence that target drag performers, and the queer and trans communities. In 2023 alone, hate crimes against the queer community rose by 69%, and this number continues to increase.
Add your name to this letter with 400+ others show your public support for 2SLGBTQ+ people who have been facing the brunt of this targeted discrimination. Your voice on this issue truly matters.
Drag FAQ’s Answered
Affirming Connections started the United Against Hate campaign to address the surge in misinformation, disinformation, and violence targeting drag performers and trans people. We compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions we encounter, then asked experts from a variety of fields—including affirming faith leaders, drag performers, educators, academics and researchers—to answer them.