Organizations & Activism
The following groups and organizations have played key roles in the support, advocacy, education, and preservation of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Windsor-Essex Region. While some of these groups are no longer active, they have been featured to highlight the rich and longstanding history of queer activism within this region.
Active Groups
Pozitive Pathway (formerly known as AIDS Committee of Windsor)
- Founded in 1985 from the Condom Committee of the Lesbian/Gay Community Service Group, Pozitive Pathways started as a volunteer-led initiative to combat lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS in the local community. Over the years, the organization has evolved to fit the needs of the growing community, now focusing on advocacy, harm reduction, and education for those directly or indirectly affected by HIV, Hepatitis C, or other sexually transmitted blood borne infections.
- Trans Wellness Ontario is a Windsor-Essex based mental health organization that focuses on supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and their families. Their services include individual counseling, peer support, community engagement activities, parent mentoring, access to essential resources, and many special events.
- In 2011, Windsor-Essex Pride Fest branched off from the Windsor Pride Community to focus on organizing the Windsor Pride Festival. As a registered non-profit, WEPF brings together the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and their allies through advocacy and inclusive events. The organization works to foster belonging and inclusion by offering social programs, workshops, and special activities to empower and support the community.
- Run for Rocky is a charity run/walk founded in 2013 in memory of Rocky Campana to drive acceptance and provide support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The funds raised help support local 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives, including GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) grants, youth mental health programs, suicide prevention, and leadership mentoring. The proceeds also support local 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations with counseling services, educational resources, and diversity training for educators.
- Founded in 2006, this charitable organization is dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and their families, allies, and educators in Windsor-Essex. WPC offers education, support programs, training, workshops, peer support groups, mental health resources, and more!
- The Campus Pride Centre, run by the University of Windsors’ Student Alliance (UWSA), provides a supportive space for 2SLGBTQIA+ students and allies. Originally created as a “safe space” in 2013, it became the Pride Centre in 2016. The Centre offers drop-in hours and partners with local groups to host social events.
- Founded in 2019, UWinPride is the University of Windsor’s Pride Committee dedicated to supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community on- and off-campus. The committee works to create an inclusive environment through advocacy, education, and awareness around 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, rights, and experiences.
Windsor-Essex Rainbow Alliance (WERA)
- The Windsor-Essex Rainbow Alliance (WERA), formed in 2020, is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the local history of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the Windsor-Essex region.
Formerly Active Groups
Windsor Gay Unity (formerly known as: Windsor Homophile Association)
- Formed in the early 1970s, WIndsor Gay Unity was a queer activism group that fought for gay rights through public advocacy, political action, and community support. Their efforts helped raise visibility and make a lasting impact on the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community. They advocated for key legal changes, which helped drive Windsor to become the third city in Canada to pass a resolution prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1977.
Lesbian/Gay Community Service Group
- Founded in 1982 from the Windsor Gay Unity, the Lesbian/Gay Community Service Group aimed to provide key resources to the community, including a gay information line, peer support groups, and referrals to medical and legal professionals. They played a crucial role in advocating for equal rights, including calling for a non-discrimination clause in the Ontario Human Rights Code. The group responded to local issues, such as supporting gay men arrested during a police entrapment in 1986, and worked to encourage lesiban representation in the community.
Lesbian/Gay Community Council
- The Lesbian/Gay Community Council was established in 1993 to bring together local organizations, including the AIDS Committee of Windsor (ACW), Gay Phoneline group, Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee, Metropolitan Community Church, One in Ten, Out on Campus, Queer Radio, and Women’s Phoneline. The goal was to coordinate activities, offer mutual support, and represent the local gay and lesbian community.
Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth Group (formerly known as: Lesbian Gay Youth Group)
- In the early 1980s, a youth group was started in order to provide young queer individuals in Windsor with the opportunity to receive support and form community connections. The group organized discussions and social events, but disbanded in 1989.
One in Ten Youth Support Group
- Following the disbandment of the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth Group, this group was started in 1992 to provide support for queer youth in Windsor.
Outspoken
- In 1991, this local queer newsletter was created with support from a grant from the John Damien Education Trust. This newsletter served as a crucial source of information for individuals in the community, and included stories, advertisements for queer-friendly services and resources, and news about local gatherings and organizations.