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Login to watch this video if you have a subscription. Learn more about subscriptions.Deirdre Pike of Queer Positive Power delivers another engaging presentation entitled “Moving Beyond Shiny Diversity”. Her main message to the audience is that we should take action, not just put up a flag, wear a button or attend a parade in order to create space where everyone, not just 2SLGBTQ+, has an opportunity to thrive. She introduces a relatively new concept of cultural IQ. Deirdre outlines the obvious benefits of being more diverse, inclusive and equitable. She refers to the fact that we need to “unlearn” some of the things we have learned such as stereotyping, making assumptions, and labels. She encourages everyone to be curious, develop relationships, and keep the conversation going, in your life and work life.
Deirdre Pike wears many hats in the community but under each one of them is an out and proud lesbian and queer woman, challenging systems and calling for change in a sometimes disruptive, but always respectful, kind of way.
Deirdre uses she/her/they/them, but mostly gets misgendered as male. She has been proactively or officially working on 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion since she first joined the City of Hamilton’s Advisory Committee in 2003. Deirdre has been Pride Citizen of the Year a couple of times and wrote this school board’s handbook on how to have student-led Queer and Trans Positive Space Groups.
Deirdre regularly delivers 2SLGBTQ+ Positive Space Training in the education, health, justice, social and business sectors. She also delivered Positive Space Training sessions at Hamilton Police Services’ Block Training from 2011 – 2013 and raised the Pride flag outside Central Station when it first went up four years ago.
Often identified as a voice for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Deirdre explains that she is not a representative for the community as a whole, but rather one voice for this distinct community of communities.