One Brick at a Time

In 1969 a brick was thrown to signify enough is enough. The Stonewall Riots was a defining moment for civil rights before I was born. As a queer person, I reflect on my queer ancestors that I didn’t get to meet due to the impact of violence, discrimination, and the AIDS epidemic. In order to collapse time and space, I reach back to a pre-Christian symbology in my Slavic roots. This Trykutnyk, woven over a single brick, expresses my deepest gratitude for all the people that came before me to fight for equality. Incorporating the Trykutnyk symbol with the triangles touching point-to-point indicates connecting with the spiritual realm. I want my queer ancestors to know that their effort continues to resonate all these decades later, and that the fight for equality continues. A few major ripple effects in Canada:

1973- Homosexuality is removed as a ‘disorder” from the DSM
1990- Federal Court lifts ban against gay and lesbians in the military
1993- Supreme Court ruling that Refugees can apply based on sexual orientation
1996- Bill C-33 Sexual Orientation is added to the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code
2005- Bill C-38 Federal Law for same-sex couples the legal right to marry
2017- Bill C-16 Gender Identity and Gender Expression is added to the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code
2018- Bill C-66 An apology and erasure of unjust criminal records
2019- Blood Ban reduced not eliminated
2022- Removal of sexual orientation screening from blood donations to sexual behaviour-based screening
2022- Bill C-4 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (Conversion Therapy)