Bricks and Glitter

While Pride can be a party for some, it’s often a precarious experience for others, particularly queer and trans BIPOC folk who don’t always feel safe or included in its spaces. For many as well, there has been a search for community driven spaces that veer away from corporate sponsorship. In 2018, Brick and Glitter was formed and became more than just an alternative to Pride to the community.

Self described as a trouble of queers who believe in creativity and collectivity, in imagining together a world worth living in. Intersectional by default and critical by necessity,Bricks and Glitter is a community arts festival, celebrating Two-Spirit, trans and queer talent, ingenuity, caring, anger, and abundance. They attempt to develop capacity, whether trans, Two-Spirit and/or queer, to share skills, hold each other, let abilities shine and build living.breathing.working connections that can carry the community through the rest of the year.

Rather than complaining about the lack of inclusivity, I'd rather use resources to build sustainable events for the community, grounded in a "for us, by us" approach. Rosina Kazi

Their emphasis on community organizing makes it political, something Pride, many argue in the community believe has lost sight of. The “bricks” nod to the activists and cultural workers who have laid a civil rights foundation, pointing to a history of direct action that was often led by Black Queer and Trans folk.