LGBTQ+ resources on and around campus

Photo | Samuel Kubani, Getty Images

UofT houses numerous resource centres for LGBTQ+ and marginalized communities on campus. Student-led organizations and those run by the university provide accessible, educational information, and support systems for queer students on the St. George campus. The university’s tri-campus Positive Space Campaign also identifies safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students on campus, marked by a rainbow triangle sticker on office doors or windows.

LGBTOUT — The oldest and largest LGBTQ+ student organization at UofT, offering services and programs through their Drop-In Centre at University College’s Sir Daniel Wilson Residence; the centre also provides free sexual health resources for students.

Sexual and Gender Diversity Office (SGDO) — The SGDO hosts frequent educational and social events for LGBTQ+ students on queerness, identity, community, and other relevant topics. The office has also spearheaded initiatives for LGBTQ+ visibility at UofT, such as the Washroom Inclusivity Project to implement all-gender and accessible washrooms across campus, an LGBTQ+ film series, and a monthly drop-in Gender Talk discussion series at their Sussex Avenue location.

Centre for Women and Trans People — A drop-in facility for women and trans people at UofT that advocates for equity, LGBTQ+ rights, anti-racism, and other marginalized issues and communities. They organize a Peer Support Program that pairs students with members of their staff to provide confidential guidance for their concerns.

Sexual Education Centre (SEC) — The student-run volunteer organization aims to provide accessible sexual education and sexual health resources to students on the St. George campus. UofT-affiliated organizations can order safer sex supplies in bulk from SEC and receive peer consultations from SEC volunteers; the group has also compiled resource lists for counselling, health clinics, and HIV/AIDS resources in Toronto.

Qu(e)erying Religion — A UofT religious program analyzing the intersections between faith, religion, and queerness through drop-in discussion groups; the organization also collaborates with prominent campus groups such as the Multi-Faith Centre, the SGDO, and Positive Space.

VicPride! — The LGBTQQIP2SA+ students’ association of Victoria College, located at the Goldring Student Centre, hosting queer-focused creative events at Vic and publicizing LGBTQ+ activities across campus.

There are also mental-health-focused resources on and off campus that LGBTQ+ students can use to receive counselling, therapy, physical health checkups, and more.

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) — CAMH’s Rainbow Services offers drugs and alcohol addiction counselling programs to LGBTQ+ people through therapy, support groups, and mental health education and assessments. No referrals are necessary to join the programs.

Planned Parenthood Toronto — An active community sexual healthcare facility located near the St. George campus dedicated to pro-choice sexual education, with projects such as Queering Sex Ed (QSE), led by LGBTQ+ youth. The QSE Youth Advisory Committee created the Affirmation Deck that can be found at the Goldring Student Centre, a series of categorized cards with supportive statements such as: “No act of resistance to homophobia, biphobia, queerphobia, or transphobia is too small. All resistance is revolutionary.”

Sherbourne Health Centre — The centre offers various services specifically designed for the LGBTQ+ community, such as their Supporting Our Youth (SOY) community program that caters to the needs of queer and trans youth in Toronto. SOY runs mentorship sessions, housing workshops, social justice leadership teams, and more. The health centre also sponsors the Rainbow Health Ontario program that trains healthcare workers about LGBTQ+ concerns; they also act as consultants on public policy for organizations across the province.

Expansive LGBTQ+ resources exist across the city, ranging from health clinics to digital help lines.

LGBT Youth Line — A confidential service led by Toronto youth to serve their peers in the LGBTQ+ community; the organization manages an Ontario-wide phone, text, and online chat line for LGBTQ+ youth. Youth Line also facilitates leadership training, volunteer programs, and community events for the queer community.

The 519 Community Centre — A City of Toronto agency dedicated to supporting members of the LGBTQ+ community in Toronto by providing various accessible immigration, housing, arts, and education resources; it also hosts youth-specific and trans-specific programming at its office, located in the Church and Wellesley Village.

Glad Day Bookshop — A literary establishment featuring works by LGBTQ+ writers and creators that represent authors from broad cultural, religious, and gender spectrums. The bookshop also hosts LGBTQ+ events at its location near Wellesley Station.