Community Organizer-In- Residence

Shaun Brodie (he/him) is a classically trained trumpet player with a performance degree from the University of Victoria, and extensive experience as a session and freelance musician. Performing live and in-studio with many of Canada’s top indie acts, Shaun has toured internationally and appeared on a wide spectrum of stages including The Late Show with David Letterman and the Glastonbury Festival. In 2014 Shaun founded the Queer Songbook Orchestra (QSO), a formidable 14-piece chamber pop ensemble dedicated to expressing and uplifting 2SLGBTQ+ narratives. In recent years this project has expanded to now include the Queer Songbook Youth Orchestra, an ensemble providing performance opportunities and mentorship to queer, trans, questioning and allied youth; as well as QSO Kids, which offers programming designed to nurture inclusivity and acceptance for elementary school classrooms. A highly collaborative, community-based project, the QSO have worked with 200+ collaborators and toured extensively throughout Canada and were longlisted for the 2018 Polaris Prize for their collaborative album with Vivek Shraya. While with the Queer and Trans Research Lab, Brodie will focus his time on finding ways to expand on the foundation the QSO has built since 2014 and grappling with questions such as: How can we continue to cultivate an effective and ongoing space for a 2SLGBTQ+ youth focused program to flourish? How can we further develop programming for a k – 6 demographic which balances entertainment and education in meaningful and insightful ways? How can we better connect with a broader spectrum of the community and facilitate an even wider selection of experiences being brought to light? How can the QSO address these and other big picture questions in a shifting political environment which is posing more and more obstacles for genuine queer and trans representation?

Yasmeen Persad is a passionate community leader, advocating for the rights of and providing programming for trans and gender diverse people, particularly trans people of color, trans people living with and/or affected by HIV, trans newcomers, and trans women who are sex workers. As creator of the Trans Women HIV Research Initiative (TWIRI) at Women’s College Hospital, Persad has extensive experience conducting community-based participatory research with trans and gender diverse communities. Yasmeen has worked for more than 15 years with trans people of intersecting identities and experiences to create opportunities, reduce barriers, and increase access to health and social services across the province, country, and internationally. During her year with the QTRL, she plans to create a series of brief, strengths-based videos that aim to empower and encourage trans women of color to discuss their sexual health and speak about HIV in a positive light. The videos will discuss pre-exposure and post-exposure prophylaxis (Prep and PEP), which, while widely available, are not accessible and inclusive of trans women’s voices. The videos will debunk myths around HIV and gender-affirming care, share information about HIV among trans women, and work to decrease social isolation in our community. The overarching goal of these videos will be to reduce both internalized shame and stigma among trans women of color, including trans women who are sex workers, who are often left behind in these conversations. Additionally, these videos can be shared with service providers to help reduce the stigma they may perpetuate.