In a city made up of people from all over the globe, diversity and inclusion are essential components of Vancouver’s DNA.
Many local organizations, from business franchises to non-profit organizations, have made it their primary mission to instill equality for all people in the work they do. They are doing so by creating spaces where those of all orientations and identities are welcomed in, treated with respect and left feeling valued.
From law firms helping families and individuals from all walks of life find safety and security, to a gender-neutral aesthetic salon making everyone look and feel as fabulous as they inherently are, all of the featured groups in this article are setting strong examples of allyship by fostering a network of support and acceptance for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Vancouver.
McCrea Immigration Law
Moving to a new country comes with its fair share of challenges, top among them keeping updated on the ever-changing rules surrounding immigration and citizenship.
As a full service immigration law firm, McCrea Immigration Law is well-versed in Canadian immigration law and has both the expertise and experience to support newcomer individuals and families on a number of immigration and citizenship-related matters. These matters include work permits, study permits, visitor visas, permanent residency applications and card renewals, citizenship applications, judicial reviews, admissibility hearings, and appeals before the IAD.
McCrea’s dedicated team of immigration lawyers also proudly represent members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community from around the globe in navigating their way to safety from other countries. They advocate for individuals seeking safety and acceptance through refugee claims (based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics), applications for permanent residence on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds, and spousal sponsorship applications made by couples who have not been able to cohabit or marry due to local laws.
Committed to taking a client-centered and trauma-informed approach, McCrea Immigration Law works hard to find a way to make the law work for justice. At this firm, there are no stuffy board rooms or mahogany bookshelves in their office, just a bunch of folks who truly care about their clients.
The firm will consider and accept (dependent on current volumes) legal aid referrals for eligible refugee claimants. For more info on McCrea Immigration Law’s services, visit www.mccrealaw.ca
Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bar
Choosing to go through with hair removal isn’t for the faint of heart, and finding a place you can trust is no easy task. While weighing the options, it helps to know that you’ll feel fully comfortable and supported. At Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bar, their mission is to leave you feeling energized and powerful so you can celebrate your uniqueness and embrace your inner fox!
With 18 locations and counting, including one in Mount Pleasant, Foxy Box has just opened their newest location in West Point Grey. This gender neutral salon offers full-body laser hair removal and all waxing services (specializing in Brazilians), lash lifts and brow laminations. Not only that, laser facials are soon to come this fall.
All gender identities are welcome at each Foxy Box location. Their team of Vagicians are committed to helping clients get rid of those pesky, unwanted hairs. At Foxy Box, feeling good isn’t a luxury, but a basic human right, come join the Foxy revolution!
New clients can save 50% off their first laser service, or receive their first wax service for free at Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bar. Some conditions apply. For more information, visit foxyboxwaxbar.com
Olympic Village Veterinary Clinic
Our pets are our pride and joy, offering us the unconditional love and endless joy that can brighten up even our darkest days. For all that our best friends give us, it’s only right to give them back the love and care they deserve.
The Olympic Village Veterinary Clinic (OVVC) treats their client’s canines and felines with comfort, compassion and care. The Vancouver-founded independent, woman-led and owned practice is made up of a diverse team with people from many nationalities, as well as from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. As supporters of the community they work in, team members individually donate their time and effort to local organizations and work with other small businesses on community-based projects.
OVVC is also giving pet lovers a more accessible option for obtaining necessary medicine for their pets through their wellness plan, which includes a full year of flea and tick prevention, blood work, vaccines, screenings and exams for a low monthly price. The plan helps pet owners provide all the essential preventative care their adult and senior pets need.
For more information, visit www.olympicvillagevet.com/wellness-plans.
Y Law Group
No matter who their clients love or what legal matters they need support in navigating through when it comes to their relationships, YLaw is ready and willing to represent all of their clients and help them pursue resolution in family law.
Encompassing all legal matters relating to marriage and relationships, the award-winning Metro Vancouver litigation law firm has a team of specialized lawyers that can provide support to married spouses and common law couples who are navigating cohabitation, asset division, separation and divorce, and child custody. As well, fertility lawyers and assisted reproduction attorneys help clients through family planning, whether through the adoption processes or fertility processes.
The team at YLaw also represents clients in immigration law, estate litigation, and civil litigation. For more information, visit www.ylaw.ca.
Celebrities Nightclub
Located in the heart of Davie Village, Celebrities is an iconic institution for Vancouver’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Built in 1908, the venue itself has evolved over the years, from its origins as one of the city's first dancing halls to its current incarnation as one of the most recognizable establishments for club entertainment on the West End.
As a long-standing destination for music and dance-centric fun in Vancouver’s nightlife scene, Celebrities attracts a diverse group of the city’s progressively-minded folks who love to dance after-dark. From themed club nights to special events featuring world-famous DJs and performers, clubbers can expect to get down to cutting-edge EDM beats and Top 40 hits, coupled with an elaborate light show to truly illuminate the dance floor. The nightclub opens from 10 p.m. to late on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the week.
During Vancouver Pride week, Celebrities will present “The Future of Drag” starring Mirage, Marina Summers and Venus, followed by a DJ set by Spencer Brown, on August 2. On August 3, “The Black Parade” will take over the nightclub with drag performances from Cara Melle, Jax, Kween Kong, Kendall Gender, Makayla Couture, Mx Bukuru, Velvet Ryder, Batty Banks and Acacia Gray, followed by a set by Aluna.
Visit www.celebritiesnightclub.com to get on the guest list and to see the list of upcoming events at the venue.
Ribbon Community
How can we continue to support people living with HIV now and in the years to come?
AIDS Vancouver pondered over this very important question as they celebrated their 40th anniversary, which ultimately led to a new purpose, values, name, and look for one of Canada’s oldest AIDS service organizations. Inspired by the recognizable red ribbon, originally created in the 1990s, Ribbon Community’s new look is the iconic HIV awareness red ribbon in the shape of an ‘r’.
Ribbon supports and empowers diverse communities impacted by HIV, including Two-Spirit, queer, and trans people who were there at the beginning of the epidemic, and the many communities of all genders, sexualities, ethnicities and ages impacted by HIV now. Ribbon Community includes people living with HIV and HIV-negative people, especially those who are impacted by stigma around sex, substance use, and HIV. In addition, the organization works one on one with HIV-negative people in the context of HIV prevention, pleasureable sex, sex work and substance use.
Ribbon’s programs and services for people living with HIV include one-to-one multilingual peer navigation services at the Rapid Access Addictions Clinic, Oak Tree Clinic, Positive Health Services (Surrey), and John Ruedy Clinic. The organization also provides community events, monthly dinners for people living with HIV, individual case management, a Grocery program, and a community connections program “Friends of May,” named after Ribbon’s longest-serving volunteer.
On July 31 at The Junction, Ribbon Community’s Indigenous Committee will host a bannock burger BBQ, followed by a storytelling event, “Once Upon a Time: Queer Stories and Fairy Tales,” curated by the In Our Day Collective.
On August 6, Ribbon Community will host a Latin@ Spanish-language post-Vancouver Pride recovery event, including access to STI testing and PEP, in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health at Ribbon.
RSVP for both Pride events now at www.ribboncommunity.org/Pride2024.
