Panel: Beyond Mainstream Pride — Land, Sovereignty and Belonging

This panel brings together four grassroots voices—two First Nations speakers, one trans speaker and one speaker from an immigrant background—to explore the vital and complex intersections of Indigenous sovereignty, displacement and queer migrant justice in Canada. Far too often, mainstream Pride narratives and newcomer integration are treated as entirely separate conversations. This event intentionally disrupts those silos.

By centring the lived experiences of queer migrants and First Nations communities, this horizontal discussion explores what decolonization looks like in practice. Together, the panellists will critically discuss how we navigate colonial frameworks, find belonging and build meaningful, ethical relationships with the land and with one another without relying on top-down government systems.

Key discussion questions

1. Many migrants leave their homelands to escape the direct impacts of war, economic control and instability caused by powerful global nations. When they arrive here, they find themselves settling on land that is historically and continually colonized. How can we discuss the difference between participating in a process of colonization and escaping oppression to find safety?

2. From both Indigenous and queer migrant perspectives, how can we build a shared understanding of “the land” that recognizes both the historical injustice of theft and the human necessity of seeking refuge?

3. Newcomers often face immense struggles as they try to find themselves and establish a sense of belonging in a new environment, while First Nations communities have an inherent belonging to this land yet are continually denied their basic rights. Where do these different experiences of seeking or maintaining “home” connect, and how can we support one another through these realities?

4. The Canadian government frequently uses terms such as “diversity, equity and inclusion,” yet systemic structures such as education, housing and institutional access remain built around a colonial framework. How do these policies actively ignore both the unique needs of First Nations and the specific struggles of immigrants?

5. Knowing that the current system divides our communities into separate legal and social categories, what does genuine horizontal solidarity look like in practice? How can we build collective paths toward healing and liberation that do not rely on government-approved frameworks?