Q-Elders Project
June 28th 2024 marks the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall Revolution. Dignity Seniors Society (DSS) is delighted to commemorate this important moment in history with the launch of our Q-Elders Project.
The goal of the Q-Elders Project is to identify, honour and celebrate 2SLGBTQIA+ elders in British Columbia. These are individuals who have contributed to the flourishing of our communities through their leadership, altruism, and courage.
In 2021, DSS undertook a community consultation on the concept of 2SLGBTQIA+ elders. Recommendations (read the report here) from the consultation have informed the development of this project and its Terms of Reference.
Five inaugural Q-Elders are profiled below. Some may be familiar to you, but all are deserving of our respect and thanks. As you read their bios, we hope you find their stories to be powerful, humbling and inspirational.
DSS will continue to strive to ensure that Q-Elders with diverse identities, backgrounds and experiences in BC are captured in this project. Nominations from community members are invited and encouraged to help us with this ambition. For guidelines on nominating a Q-Elder, click here.
Meet the Q-Elders
In addition to a bio, each Q-Elder was asked to provide a personalized statement on what being a Q-Elder means to them.
Being a Q-Elder means embodying resilience, authenticity, and wisdom gained through navigating a journey marked by adversity and triumph. It’s about paving the way for future generations, and offering guidance, support, and understanding to those who follow. Above all, it signifies a legacy of courage and empowerment, inspiring others to embrace their identities and live authentically as part of the queer family.
It is a privilege and an honour to be a Q-Elder. I am glad to have been a trailblazer and made a difference in our community.
At long last, I have attained peace of mind. With my experiences of transitioning later in life, I may inspire and be supportive of others who are also considering transitioning
I feel a growing urgency to share my ‘I was there when...’; stories, the early, mostly undocumented years establishing trans inclusion in community and in health care, in hopes that this groundbreaking period of local history, and the hard-won progress to date, is sustained as part of the collective whole, ongoing. Perhaps younger activists will draw inspiration and strategy from these front-line accounts, gain a sense of connected continuance, and absorb some handy ‘self-care essentials’ as well.
Having friends, a community who can laugh, commiserate, applaud, organize and be there for each other.
Alex Sangha (he/him)
Alex Sangha is an award-winning social worker, counsellor, documentary film producer, and the founder of Sher Vancouver, a registered charity for LGBTQ+ South Asians, their friends and allies established in 2008.
As part of Sher Vancouver, Alex has championed LGBTQ+ rights and created vital programs and platforms for marginalized people, such as free crisis counselling; peer support groups for youth, women, and adults; outreach workshops to combat bullying, racism, homophobia, and transphobia; a social justice podcast; film screenings in school programs; and the emerging Sundar Prize Film Festival.
Alex’s filmmaker prowess as a producer is evident in My Name Was January, a poignant exploration of the lives of trans women of color, which not only garnered critical acclaim but also qualified for entry into the Canadian Screen Awards. Additionally, his film Emergence: Out of the Shadows sheds light on the coming out journey of queer Punjabi Sikh individuals in Metro Vancouver, capturing the complexities of their experiences and the reactions of their parents.
These films have sparked important conversations and have been shown on Knowledge Network, TVO, OUTtv, and other platforms.
Alex is also one of the co-founders of Dignity Seniors Society as a project of his MSW practicum.
Chris Morrissey (she/her)
Chris Morrissey was born in England in 1942 and immigrated to Canada with her family at age ten. In 1960, she entered the Franciscan Missionaries in Albany, New York. She embarked on a career teaching with posts in Malaysia, Brunei and the US. It was during this time that she became aware of her sexuality and eventually realized that she was a lesbian. She developed a relationship with Bridgit, a member of the same congregation.
Chris and Bridgit relocated to Santiago, Chile during the dictator Pinochet’s regime. There they lived in one of the shanty towns primarily working with women and participating in the community activities of the time, including protests.
When Pinochet was defeated in 1989, Chris and Bridget decided it was time to return to North America. However, they encountered a problem with immigration since they had different citizenships. This led to a court challenge alleging discrimination in Canada’s immigration policies. Chris and Bridgit, along with others, formed LEGIT to work on changing the law. During this time, they began to receive emails from LGBTQ people from around the world looking for information about how they could come to Canada.
In 2000, Chris, with lawyer Rob Hughes, formed the Rainbow Refugee Committee, now Rainbow Refugee. The organization has supported and sponsored numerous LGBTQ+ asylum seekers and refugees. When Bridgit was diagnosed with dementia, Chris advocated to make hospital services, residential and hospice care more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. In 2019, Chris was inducted into the Order of Canada.
Gayle Roberts (she/her)
Born in England in 1940, Gayle Roberts taught high school science for thirty years and holds a master’s in physics from the University of Victoria. During her teaching career, Gayle taught at Gladstone Secondary and Lord Byng Secondary in Vancouver.
Gayle’s childhood feelings and memories were predominately of wishing she was a girl. As she grew older, her feelings intensified culminating in a sense of intense shame during her fifties. By then, Gayle’s self-awareness and understanding of gender dysphoria caused her to recognize that transitioning from male to female was the only way she could achieve peace of mind. Gayle was fifty-six when she transitioned.
In 1996, Gayle became the first teacher in the Vancouver School Board to transition on the job. Her transition in the workplace was a very positive experience. She then began devoting her time to delivering workshops to employers and school districts throughout the Lower Mainland about creating safe and welcoming working and learning environments for transgender and transsexual students.
Gayle’s proudest moments as a trans advocate include co-authoring Supporting Transgender and Transsexual Students in K-12 Schools: A Guide for Educators (2012) and shepherding the passage of a Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (2010) policy statement declaring gender to be an issue of identity rather than pathology.
Lukas Walther (he/him)
Lukas Walther’s front-line mental health work spans 50 years, 25+ specializing in Gender Diversity. His ongoing drive is to identify and bridge critical gaps in care. His resume includes community counselor, group facilitator, mentor, advocate, educator, resource developer and consultant.
Lukas plays a unique role alongside local clinical specialists, supporting and informing BC’s trans youth and adults, their loved ones, care providers, employers and schools.
In 1998 Lukas established a still-active discussion group for transmasculine adults. In 2012 he established one for parents struggling to understand and support their trans kids, especially beneficial to those with deeply rooted faith- and cultural-based conundrums.
Well-known locally and internationally for his impactful customized presentations, Lukas is a valued speaker at numerous post-grad institutes, focusing on nursing, social work and psychology programs.
Lukas utilizes aspects of his own lived experience to provide context for the more polarizing aspects of trans identity and gender dysphoria, aligning common threads of human experience to ignite his audience’s empathy and understanding on these particularly complex matters.
Pat Hogan (she/her)
Pat Hogan, originally from Connecticut, has been a Canadian (and U.S.) citizen since 1969. She has helped form and lead many organizations, often relating to women, lesbians, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. This includes the BC Federation of Women and Vernon’s “Direct Action for Women in Need” Centre, as well as serving as board members with the Vancouver Pride Society and Britannia Community Centre.
Pat is the originator and co-organizer of BOLDFest, an 18-year-old organization featuring an annual conference for bold, old(er) lesbians & dykes. She was owner/operator of Josephine’s, a Vancouver Eastside café welcoming all genders, ages, lifestyles.
Pat founded Sounds and Furies Productions, a music production organization that featured mostly women, mostly lesbian artists from across North America and other parts of the world. She has worked on the LGBTQ Elder Abuse project founded by Claire Robson and Gloria Gutman.
Pat has had many other adventures and accomplishments over the years and is grateful for all the support she has received throughout her life in Canada. Pat has a daughter who lives in Australia, a son in Nelson, 2 granddaughters, 3 grandsons, one great granddaughter.
Some illuminating resources on “Elders”
Gay Elder Circle (Los Angeles)
Dr. David Suzuki is a great environmental film maker, author of many books, a science broadcaster and a recipient of the Right Livelihood award.