15 LGBTQ2+ Inclusive Non-Profits to Support in Greater Victoria

December 1, 2020

There are a number of organizations doing great work to support local LGBTQ2+ communities. With this being an especially hard year for a lot of charity and non-profit organizations, we wanted to highlight some that are worth considering making a donation to.

Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
ICA provides information, support and tools to help immigrants and refugees reach their goals. Mental health, culture, sexuality and gender can be a lot to handle, especially in a new country . That’s why ICA recently launched the Q+ Crew support group for LGBTQ2S+ immigrants, refugees and BIPOC youth (18-30 years old).

Indigenous Perspectives Society
IPS offers training, consulting and projects to help foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives, cultural differences and the need for self-determination. One program they host is All My Relations, a one day training workshop to support Two Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ* youth to explore the intergenerational effects of colonization, the unique Two Spirit identity, finding place in Indigenous, western and LGBTQ* communities, reflection on collective, individual unconscious biases and available support and services.

AIDS Vancouver Island
AVI works to promote health, dignity and well-being for all people affected by HIV, HCV and substance use by delivering sex-positive and harm reduction based education, prevention and support services. They produce a number of queer focused support programs including the Gender Varient Drop-In Group, the weekly Queerabilities meeting and the Men’s Wellness Program. They also host the yearly Manscapes conference for gay, bisexual, trans, Two Spirit, queer and other men who enjoy having sex with men to reflect on the diverity and intersectionality of issues that impact our community.

Victoria Native Friendship Center
VNFC is dedicated to improving the quality of life for Indigenous people in Greater Victoria. Their Two Spirit Gathering happens every year in November and is open to LGBTQ2S+ youth ages 12-24 year and the allies that support them. The gathering provides two days of ceremony, workships, speakers, information, group activities and feasting.

Peers Victoria Resource Society
PEERS is an oranization of sex workers for sex workers that has been providing outreach, harm reduction and education for people in the sex industry for over 25 years. They have been especially called upon during the COVID-19 pandemic since many sex workers were not eligible for government aid programs. They provide a range of harm reduction and support services.

PFLAG
With a very active Victoria chapter, PFLAG is Canada’s only national organization that offers peer-to-peer support to help all Canadians with issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. PFLAG has monthly meetings and they plan other events through the year.

Trans Tipping Point
The TTP is retreat that usually occurs two to three times a year that brings together trans* and gender diverse youth and mentors for a weekend of artistic creation and community connection. While they haven’t been able to hold their retreats during COVID, they have been very busy with a rebrand underway to the Gender Generations Project. It’s hard to understate the impact that this retreat has had for many.

Foundry
The Foundry offers young people health and wellness resources, services and supports both online and in integrated service centres in communities across B.C. This includes regular online support groups for Indigenous LGBTQIA+ and Two Spirit youth as well as the weekly Queer Cafe for LGBTQ2+ youth ages 12-24.

Victoria Youth Empowerment Society
Over 30% of homeless youth Victoria are LGBTQ2+ and YES provides basic needs to many youth experiencing homelessness. They also provide SHIFT – a support group that meets twice per month for transgender, Two Spirit, non-binary and gender diverse youth ages 13-19 years. This group is designed to be an inclusive and safe space to access support related to gender identity and to make peer connections.

Victoria Lesbian Seniors Care Society
Since 1994, the VLSCS has been helping women by providing social networking and education. They have recently launched the Generational Allies Project that will see a series of workshops focused on LGBTQ2+ inclusion for seniors and elders.

Women in Need
WIN is a community service cooperative that supports women in crisis, recognizing the fluidity of gender and that it is self-identified. They have made purposeful efforts to make their five resale stores more explicitly queer and trans inclusive including private “Shop Proud” events for queer individuals.

Victoria Sexual Assault Centre
The VSAC is dedicated to supporting women and all Trans* survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse through advocacy, counselling and empowerment. They are dedicated to ending sexualized violence through healing, education and prevention.

Island Sexual Health Society
Island Sexual Health Society provides comprehensive sexual health clinics, education programs and products for people of all genders, orientations, abilities and ages. They have a variety of LGBTQ2+ resources and they also run COVID-safe, gender affirming apparel fittings through the Store at ISH. The initial product roll out includes binders, packing underwear and gaffs with more to come in the future.

Victoria Pride Youth Leadership Council
The VPS Youth Council plans events and initiatives in support of LGBTQIA2S+ community. This past year, they planned a week of online events for Victoria Pride for queer youth to help overcome the isolation of COVID. They plan more events next year to help create connections and support queer, questioning and ally youth.

Bridges for Women
Bridges for women provides trauma-informed counselling and healing-focused pre-employment programs to self-identified women, non-binary people and Two Spirit people.

For more organizations doing great work for our community, check out
Victoria Pride’s Organization Directory.