The Well’s run dry
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By: Julia Martin
LGBTQ+ communities face a diverse range of obstacles, barriers, and discrimination. The university environment is an overwhelmingly liberal one that, at times, can shelter us from this reality. When an incident of discrimination or harassment occurs, there are many resources available such as Human Rights & Equity Services, the Queer Student Community Centre, the Student Code of Conduct, the Student Wellness Centre, and more. But what happens when someone is discriminated outside of the university environment, and has no association to McMaster? Where do they go?
Hamilton is unique for its racial, sexual, cultural, and socio-economic diversity. A lot of marginalization of individuals is worsened through the economic disparity within the city. Yet, there is only one LGBTQ+ organization in Hamilton outside of McMaster University.
It comes as no surprise to hear that this single, volunteer run, organization is experiencing severe strains on its resources.
Consider the recent incident where a trans woman was barred from using the women’s restroom at the MacNab bus terminal. Her rights were blatantly violated, and The Well, the LGBTQ+ organization in Hamilton, was the only group that could provide her with a safe space and counselling. The Well and its volunteers approached the HSR, the city, and the media with grace and discretion to prevent this kind of incident from happening again.
Clearly, The Well is a vital and impactful resource in this diverse city—but think of the impact they could have if they had individuals with legal and financial expertise working for them.
The Well has recognized a need in the city for LGBTQ+ counselling, a service that the university does not even provide. But, after speaking to a representative from The Well, I learned that the organization simply does not have the funding to support counselling and other staff-led initiatives.
Of course The Well is not alone in its struggle to attain adequate city funding. Many services catering marginalized groups struggle in this way. It is important to recognize that services of this nature would benefit the mental health and physical safety of LGBTQ+ students and the broader Hamilton communities.
Additionally, a greater variety of services and more community-oriented initiatives would help to build bridges and increase visibility within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. Currently, an initiative called Fruitbox, funded through SPICES and which offers supports to projects led by McMaster graduate students, is attempting to raise more money in support of The Well’s efforts to provide LGBTQ+ counseling.
But this is only a start to further building the bridges we need to develop within Hamilton in order for the LGBTQ+ community as a whole flourish within the city. There is much more that we can do to support marginalized communities in Hamilton and advocate for increasing funding for their services.
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