Community Safety & Care Training

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 (online)

5:30pm PT / 6:30pm MT / 8:30pm ET

Join us for this timely workshop to learn ways to protect marginalized communities at protests and events, through effective de-escalation and creative nonviolence. Enhance your toolbelt and get tips on creating safety teams in your area!

Led by experienced Community Protection Facilitator, and Head of Security at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Aidan McKendrick! Aidan (He/Him) is a first generation Canadian and part of the disabled queer community. Growing up in a small southern Ontario community, he witnessed the effects of poverty and addiction firsthand.

Throughout his student and adult life, Aidan has dedicated himself to volunteering for various causes, including food banks, human rights movements, and community skill-building networks.

Through this volunteering and especially marshalling protests and food banks, he learned his love of community protection, utilizing de-escalation, comedy, and general kindness to folks of all walks of life. This led him to a career in security in the queer village and currently as the head of security at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (Toronto). Being the oldest and largest queer threatre in the world, Aidan leads the security team and teaches self defense classes for the queer community.


Citywide Pride Interfaith Service

Come to the 7th Annual Citywide Pride Interfaith Gathering! Presented by Affirming Connections and Calgary’s Network of Affirming Faith Communities.

When: Sunday, August 24, 7pm

Where: Lutheran Church of the Cross, Calgary, AB

What: This event celebrates the beautiful intersection of faith and 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, affirming and celebrating that you can be all parts of who you are.

Our 2025 theme is 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 (or selves) together. Stories and music will be woven throughout the service, as we evoke a tactile, artistic image of Pride stitched together by community participation.


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, and 2SLGBTQ+ 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. 

Check it out now!