Rainbow Sauga Alliance strives to create a welcoming and engaging community by providing support, social events and platforms for 2SLGBTQIA+ residents in Mississauga, across the spectrums of gender and sexuality, with an emphasis on creating meaningful events, experiences support and development to enhance the bonds of true friendships, of life, and to lighten the burdens of struggle, holistically, responsibly and inclusively.
We support 2SLGBTQIA+ friends, family, colleagues, and neighbours within our city and region.
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Upcoming Events:
SAVE THE DATE REMINDER
Past Events:
Had a great time at the Social Meet & Greet; for those of you who could not attend we had a great group of nearly 40 people! Thank you once again to the Apricot Tree Cafe for hosting us and providing a lovely space for our final community gathering at this location before the owners sell the business and retire. We heard from a few community partner groups on the current status of activities and programs taking place here in Mississauga. Thanks also goes to City Councillor Alvin Tedjo for joining us!
Halton/PRISM Parade
July 14, 2024
Happy to have marched in this awesome event. Even got a picture with Bonnie Crombie! Your support means the world to us and the entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Parade Route
From Rainbow walk to Rainbow walk!
Starts at Main and Brown, travels down Main Street, and ends at Main and Charles.
Event Details
Registration: 11:30am in parking lot #1 on Brown Street (opposite McKersie Funeral Home)
Last Registration: 1:15pm
Parade Line Up: 1:30pm
Parade Starts: 2:00pm
Register at: RainbowSauga@gmail.com
Vendors, community groups, entertainment taking place 12:00 – 3:30 on Main Street, Milton
RSA Highlights 2024:
A few images from the RSA Pride Picnic. July 6 2024
Peel Pride July 13th
RSA PRIDE PICNIC!
Share in your PRIDE and JOIN US for this FREE event, featuring live entertainment, free food, crafts, and talks. Fun for all ages!
When: July 6th, 11 AM – 5 PM Where: Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga grounds @ 84 S Service Rd, Mississauga
Event Lineup:
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- Mandy Goodhandy: Transgender Entertainer and Speaker
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- Mark Cassius: Musician and Actor
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- Naach for Fun: Bollywood Reimagined
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- Rev. Junia Joplin: Celebrating Authenticity and Courage
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- Crane Creations Theatre Company
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- Indigenous Drumming with Eagle Spirits
Vendors:
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- Artsy Crafts Mosaic
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- Enfleurage Organics
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- Eagle Spirits of the Great Waters
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- Paintings by Raine Adams
Sponsors:
We want to thank our Rainbow Silver Sponsor: City of Mississauga and Rainbow Platinum Sponsor: Peel Teachers Union! As well as our other Sponsors: Seva Food Bank, Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, Ontario Real Estate Association, TD Bank Trust, Mississauga Real Estate Board
Join us for a day of celebration and community!
RSA Toronto Pride March with the City Of Mississauga
Thanks for joining us for an unforgettable Pride Weekend! Shoutout to everyone who joined us on June 30th for the Pride Parade in Toronto and marched with us.
Caledon Pride
Picnic, community partners, partnership with Goodlot Brewery, farm tour, production tour, live music, board games. Caledon Park
Caledon Day
Join us from 2 to 10 p.m. on June 15 for family fun including kid’s activities, local vendors, musical acts, fireworks and more. Drag show, resources and more.
RSA Flag Raising with the City Of Mississauga
Raise your spirits and the Pride flag! Join us on June 1st at 11am in Mississauga Celebration Square to kick off Pride month with love, acceptance, and solidarity.
Clarkson Village Live!
Live music by Clark Schlesinger, Denise Leslie, Shanaya Patel, Stephanie Braganza, John Amato and more. Performances by balloon artist The Twisted Ones. Pop-up Community Market featuring amazing vendors, located at Clarkson Community Church and hosted by Maker Market Collective.
Pride Fair
Vendors, indoor and outdoor activities, focus on Pride in Canada. Sheridan College, Hazel McCallion Campus, 4180 Duke of York Boulevard, Mississauga
Peel Police Flag Raising
Raising the Rainbow flag has become a Peel Regional Police tradition. Flag raising, Keynote address by Michelle Douglas, BBQ, refreshments Peel Regional Police Headquarters, 7150 Mississauga Road, Mississauga
Brampton Pride
Vendors, activities and games, live entertainment. Garden Square, 12 Main St. North, Brampton. We are a city committed to addressing the unique challenges that face the community as a result of their intersectional identities, and champions to creating safe and inclusive space for Pride to be celebrated.
Halton Pride 2024
Halton Pride Fest ’24 is an all-ages 2SLGBTQIA+ pride festival (rain or shine!) Drag shows, vendors, food, music, vendor market, community and more!
General admission is $10 per person. All ages. Children 6 years and under are free!
Senior Showcase
Mingle & shop at 1:00, showtime at 2:00, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St., Toronto The afternoon event will feature performances by our cohort of Rainbow Seniors, who’ve been working over the past few months to develop their pieces through our Rainbow Seniors Project. Plus, we’ll have vendors and other opportunities to meet new people throughout the day.
MIX & MINGLE – MARCH 26TH 5-7pm
On March 26th we had our Mix & Mingle event at the apricot cafe in Mississauga. This event was FREE to attend with complimentary coffee and cake. Gifts from lush cosmetics. Thanks to all who came!
A TRANS JOURNEY FROM DIVO TO DIVA – MARCH 8TH 7:30pm & MARCH 9TH 7:30 PM
RSA had a wonderful time learning about the dynamic and challenging process of accepting one’s true identity, coming out to family and friends and what it’s REALLY like to live as a trans woman in today’s world.
EPIDERMIS CIRCUS – AN ADULT PUPPET SHOW
SAVE THE DATE! March 12th at 7pm and March 13th at 10am 2024
Watch a Jim Henson Company puppeteer make a live puppet film before your very eyes, using only household objects, a camera, and her bare hands. Ingrid Hansen animates cheeky vignettes in the palm of her hand and projects them onto a huge screen. This spicy puppetry cabaret features mind-bending illusions. Get your comedy fix and stretch your brain into surreal worlds.
LOVE IS LOVE – A TRIVIA DRAG BRUNCH
SAVE THE DATE! February 24th 2024
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
SAVE THE DATE! February 13th 7-8:30 PM Via Zoom
Speed History
SAVE THE DATE! February 12th 6-8:30 PM
As a global pandemic disproportionately affects our queer communities, the need to create space for queer intergenerational dialogue is more important now than ever. Our Youth/Elders Programming offers both virtual and in-person spaces for formal and informal discussions about salient issues within our communities.
Speed History isopen to queer youth, Rainbow Seniors, queer TWEENS and folks of any age interested in conversations across queer generations.
Take part in a round of Speed History where elders and youth will be grouped together to discuss identity, sexuality, community, and all things queer.
Their next session is held online! Join them here: https://buddiesinbadtimes.com/create-with-us/youth-elders-projects/
Black History Month Event
We are thrilled to share the fantastic experience we had at the Black History Month Kick Off Event in Mississauga! The Rainbow Sauga Alliance (RSA) believes in the power of community, and are proud to have attended.
RSA Highlights 2023:
Rainbow Sauga Alliance has participated in many events in 2023! See some of our highlights below:
Merry Mingle Holiday Social
Rainbow Sauga’s Merry Mingle Holiday Social was a HUGE success! We would like to thank Mississauga City Councillor Alvin Tedjo for gracing us with his presence and also presenting our organization with a certificate from the City of Mississauga for all the work we’ve done and continue doing: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1ItsIeLkTu/?igsh=ZzR1aDJkZTBkOWc=
We would also like to thank Mark Cassius and comedian and creator of the Vong Show for being amazing entertainers to our guests! We appreciate your time and your talent. A big shoutout to The Apricot Tree Cafe for letting us use their beautiful space, and for keeping our bellies full with some absolutely delicious food!
Lastly, we would like to thank everyone that took time from their busy Holiday schedules to attend our first Holiday social! We appreciate YOU.
Members Meet & Greet
Members Meet and Greet session at The Apricot Tree Café. Held on Wednesday October 18th at 5:30pm. Complimentary Coffee and Cake was provided, and many stayed for dinner afterward (dinner at their own expense). We would like to thank the sponsors and appreciate all the support from those who attended!
RSA @ Eagle Spirits of the Great Waters National Day of Reconciliation September 30
RSA had a community booth at the Eagle Spirits event at the Small Arms Building on Lakeshore West. We were in attendance to show support, and recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation also known as Orange Shirt Day. We had many visitors stop by at our booth.
Milton Pride Parade
RSA participated in the Milton Pride Parade this August! Through the heart of Milton, Ontario, we proudly painted the streets with a vibrant spectrum of love and unity at their first annual Pride Parade. There was an impressive turn out, and we packed the restaurant Pretty Rad for a meal following the parade. What a great way to socialize with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and allies!
Mississauga Pride Flag Raising Ceremony
Rainbow Sauga Alliance played a pivotal role in organizing the Mississauga Pride Flag Raising Ceremony. This event took place at Mississauga City Hall, where the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, allies, and local officials gathered to raise the progress Pride flag. Rainbow Sauga Alliance actively collborated with the city administration to ensure the event’s success. Board member Sue Aranha, founder of dance organization Naach for Fun, provided a theatrical and modern Bollywood performance with her team, that inclusively represented same-sex love. The ceremony aimed to symbolize the city’s support for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, inclusivity, and equality.
Peel Pride, Resistance & Persistance
On July 20, we also had a booth at Peel Pride, Resistance & Persistence at Burnhamthorpe Library. Then on July 28, we were front and center at the Pride Conference at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga sponsored by Impact Media and Events Corporation (IMEC). Board member Sue Aranha gave a very successful speech on “South Asians and Pride: Are we there yet?” Other speakers included a representative from PFlag Canada Peel Region, Acting Mayor Stephen Dasko, and the co-chairs of Toronto Pride.
Pride in Brampton
As an active participant in regional 2SLGBTQIA+ events across Peel, Rainbow Sauga Alliance once again attended Pride in Brampton, an annual celebration of 2SLGBTQIA+ diversity and culture. Rainbow Sauga Alliance members actively engaged in this event to grow membership, create community partners, and seek participation in future events.
Great Turnout for Mayor’s Pride Social
We were also at Mayor Crombie’s Pride Social at The Crooked Cue in Port Credit on June 30, making it a lovely way to wrap up Pride Month. These events provide a platform for dialogue, networking, and collaboration to address 2SLGBTQIA+ issues and explore avenues for positive change. Rainbow Sauga Alliance used this platform to raise awareness about their initiatives and were honored for their achievements at this event by Mayor Bonnie Crombie.
Mission
• Include the diverse communities, ages, genders, sexualities and cultural diversities, within and beyond our City through the activities and events we host.
• Support and challenge all 2SLGBTQIA+ members on their personal journeys to understand and celebrate their identities in safe, meaningful and respectful environments.
• Foster and steward respectful relations with the following key public stakeholders: Council Leaders, Politicians, Resident Associations, BIA’s, Business Individuals, Police Services, Gay-Straight Alliances, Youth Groups, Seniors Groups, Churches and other groups which support us, host us and include us.
• Strive to create an inclusive and safe community by providing social, educational, and networking opportunities, building community, and serving as a resource to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
Our Vision
We are a community made of intersecting identities, multiple histories, a wide spread of Mississauga residents, across the spectrums of gender, sexuality, age and cultural diversity, including Educators, Entrepreneurs, Ministers, Ward Councillors, Artists, Community Service Workers and others from all walks of life.
We envision a stronger, safer Mississauga 2SLGBTQIA+ community that is equitable, respectful, and visibly engaged in creating and providing safe, fun, and enjoyable activities, social events and support systems for all 2SLGBTQIA+ residents. We’ll do this by leveraging connections and relationships with City Council, Peel Police LGBTQ Hate Crimes division and the “Safe Spaces” programs, with the UCC Church Networks, with Gay-Straight Alliances within the Youth Sectors and everyone who supports and holds interest in 2SLGBTQIA+ causes.
Gallery
Our Values
To create a safe space and service environment where individuality is seen as strength and all people are treated with fairness and dignity.
Respect -To create a safe space and service environment where individuality is seen as strength and all people are treated with fairness and dignity.
Inclusivity -Believing in the need for different perspectives and commit ourselves to representation from all members of the diverse community.
Innovation -To vigorously support pioneering programs and advocacy to meet 2SLGBTQIA+ community needs.
Integrity -We work together to advance our mission, and we honor and apply these values in what we do and say.
Compassion – We understand and care about the sufferings or misfortunes of others within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
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