The New Horizons for 2S-LGBTQ+ Older Adults program is Central and Northern Ontario specific, servicing the Simcoe/Muskoka, North Bay, and Sudbury areas. Coming together as a larger team allows for community building across regions, and a larger network of support for the vast geographical area that we serve.

New Horizons for 2S-LGBTQ+ Older Adults is committed to reducing the social isolation experienced by this population through the creation of online and in-person social and support opportunities, educational workshops and culturally relevant programming. Our team is committed to community building, inclusion across identities, and the creation of spaces where all people on the 2S-LGBTQ+ spectrum feel welcome, heard, and honoured. The 2S-LGBTQ+ Older Adults program aims to support and empower those who identify as older adults (55+) within the 2S-LGBTQ+ community, to promote healthy relationships, and to increase access to health and social services.

Participating agencies in the New Horizons for 2S-LGBTQ+ Older Adults project include Gilbert Centre and Mamaway Wiikdokdaadwin, AIDS Committee of North Bay and Area and the North Bay Indigenous Hub, and Réseau Access Network and Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Our Older Adults programming is currently held both online and in person. We offer weekly virtual social and support meetings, walking groups, webinars, one-on-one check-ins, assistance in connecting you to outside resources, and more! Our Older Adults programming is open to all who fit the program criteria and wish to connect. Please visit our Facebook page to stay up-to-date on all of our events.

While everyone is welcome, there will occasionally be programming specifically for those who identify as Two-Spirit or Indigenous LGBTQ+.

Older & Bolder

Older & Bolder North is a social and support group for 2S-LGBTQ+ adults who are 55 and older. The need to connect is greater than ever before with COVID-19 trying its best to keep us isolated, and we are happy to provide a safe, judgement-free space to be out, proud, and social!

Coffee & Chats

Coffee and Chats is an informal virtual drop-in social group for those who identify as older adults (55+) within the 2S-LGBTQ+ community and their Allies. Meetings will be held virtually through Zoom (phone, tablet, computer with microphone and/or camera needed). A link for the group will be provided upon registry.

Seth (he/his/him)

I am the founder of OUTLoud North Bay, a brave space for youth. I am an established educator, trainer, advocate, mentor and leader with many years of experience working with children, at-risk youth, and those in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. I hold a diploma as an Early Childhood Educator and a Child and Youth Worker. I was previously a 2SLGBTQ+ Outreach Worker with the Near North District School Board. I have had the opportunity to build relationships with a number of organizations, people and places over the last few years that really moves this work forward. I am trained in a number of areas including ASSIST, Mental Health First Aid First Nations, First Aid & CPR, Safe Talk, Anger Solutions, Naloxone, U.M.A.B (Understanding & Managing Aggressive Behaviour), Crisis Prevention and Intervention. I am a certified Peer Support Train the Trainer.  Looking forward to providing some intergenerational education and workshops with the seniors and youth in our community. 

Evan (he/him/his)

Evan is the Seniors Program Coordinator at Gilbert Centre in Barrie, ON. As a queer trans man he has lived with many different identities at different times, and held space in multiple, diverse queer communities. His passions lie in Trans activism, 2S-LGBTQ+ history, and harm reduction. 2S-LGBTQ+ seniors are a part of his family, both blood and chosen, and he is fiercely passionate about making sure that they are seen, heard, respected and loved. Community building is the cornerstone of his efforts in this role – He believes that stronger communities create strong and resilient individuals.

Leisha (they/them/theirs)

Leisha is the Two-Spirit Outreach Worker at Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS (Oahas), servicing the Greater Sudbury Area. They are a panromantic, Two-Spirit person, with mixed European and Algonquin ancestry. As a disabled Two-Spirit person, they are a strong advocate for accessibility awareness and the intersectionalities that come with being Indigenous, 2S-LGBTQ+, and having an invisible illness.

Phoenix (they/them/theirs)

Phoenix is a 2-Spirit person from the Bear Clan from Eagle Village First Nation; living in North Bay, Ontario. They work as the Two-Spirit Outreach worker at the North Bay Indigenous Hub. They are very passionate about Indigenous issues such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Children, and 2S-LGBTQIA+ movement. They are taking an active role in learning their culture, speaking their language, and raising awareness on Indigenous issues in honour of their Grandmother Violet; a Residential School Survivor.