On 18 June 2025, the Women, Peace and Security Network – Canada (WPSN-C), in collaboration with Women of Colour Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation – Canada (WCAPS-Canada), the Canadian Coalition for Youth, Peace and Security (CCYPS), Egale Canada, and Inter Pares, hosted a virtual panel discussion on Queering Peace and Security to mark Pride Month.
Framed by the understanding that Pride is—first and foremost—a protest, the event created space to reflect on the systemic exclusion still faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities in peace and security policymaking and practice. As queer and trans communities around the world experience increasing criminalization, violence, and backlash, this dialogue was both timely and necessary.
Moderated by WPSN-C Chair Katrina Leclerc, the conversation explored how queer experiences and identities intersect with the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas. It asked what it truly means to queer peacebuilding—not symbolically, but in action—and to centre those most affected by insecurity and exclusion.
The panel featured:
María Susana Peralta Ramón, Colombian expert on queering peace and security (Inter Pares partner)
Francois, Guardians of Equality Movement (GEM) – Syria
Alexandria Bohémier, Chair of the Queering YPS Working Group (CCYPS)
Shayne Wong, Co-author of the “Beyond Tokenism” toolkit (CCYPS)
Each speaker brought grounded reflections on allyship, institutional change, youth-led approaches, and the need for deeper collaboration between grassroots queer peacebuilders and mainstream policy spaces.
The event also featured opening remarks by Mary Pierre-Wade, Deputy Director at Global Affairs Canada and former Chief of Staff to Canada’s Ambassador for WPS, and a powerful framing by Dr. Jamie J. Hagen on the history and political importance of queering peace and security. Closing remarks were shared by Kim Vance-Mubanga of Egale Canada, and Princessessa Calixte, WCAPS Fellow.
This event was proposed by WPSN-C members and shaped by their ongoing activism to advance 2SLGBTQI+ rights, in Canada and globally. It aimed to amplify voices too often marginalized in WPS and YPS conversations—especially racialized, Indigenous, and gender-diverse perspectives—and to contribute to a growing community of practice committed to inclusive peace.
Happy Pride—and onward in solidarity.
Watch the full recording below
English