Alec Butler – Playwright

Alec Butler is a playwright, author, filmmaker, and activist who identifies as two-spirit, non-binary, and intersex. They embrace the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) and DIWO (Do-It-With-Others) style in their films, writing, directing, editing, and performing in them. Author of the GSRD novella Rough Paradise in addition to the plays Medusa Rising, Cradle Pin, Shakedown, and Black Friday, which earned a Governor General’s Award nomination.

Angela James – Athlete

In 2010, Angela James became one of the first openly gay athletes, first woman, and second black athlete to ever be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Among her numerous accomplishments, she guided the Canadian women’s hockey team to four world championships, earning her the nickname “the Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey”.

Antoni Porowski – Cook & TV Personality

Antoni, was born in Canada to Polish emigrants, is an outspoken advocate for GSRD rights everywhere, particularly in his family’s native Poland, where he serves on the board of the Equaversity Foundation, which was founded to facilitate international funding to help Poland’s GSRD population.

Dan Levy – Multi-Media Talent

The CBC sitcom Schitt’s Creek, which Dan Levy developed and co-starred in with his father, famed comedian Eugene Levy, is where he’s best known for his performance as David Rose. In 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021, Shitt’s Creek won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series. Additionally, it made history by becoming the first comedy series to ever take home all seven of the top Primetime Emmy Awards; Levy received four of them, a record-breaking number for one individual in a single year. He has also received recognition for his efforts to advance GSRD inclusivity; he was awarded the Davidson/Valentini Award by GLAAD in 2019. (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).

Elliot Page – Actor

One of the most well-known actors in Canada, Elliot Page is a thoughtful, passionate, and intellectual talent. Page started as a seasoned young performer in Canadian feature films and TV shows, and by the age of 18, had won two Gemini Awards. After giving a compelling performance in the American independent Hard Candy, Page went on to land prominent roles in X-Men: The Last Stand, and the cult classic Juno. Page received an Oscar nomination and an Independent Spirit Award for Juno. Page is recognised for his environmental activism, support for GSRD rights, and a grounded, socially concerned presence.

George Hislop – Politician

Gay rights advocate George Hislop was the first openly gay candidate for municipal government in Canada. He was an organiser of We Demand, a gay rights protest held on Parliament Hill in August 1971, and he co-founded the Community Homophile Association of Toronto (CHAT) in 1971. He delivered speeches about homosexuality and gay liberation at rallies, gatherings, and conferences.

Jenna Talackova – Model

After having previously competing in the Thailand-based 2010 Miss International Queen event for transgender and transsexual women. After being chosen as one of the Top 65 hopefuls to compete in the contest, a person who remembered her from Miss International Queen informed the Miss Universe Canada organizers, and the organization disqualified Talackova on the grounds that the pageant regulations required participants to be “naturally born” women. Following that, Talackova contacted attorney Gloria Allred, who took the case and urged the pageant’s administrators to reconsider their choice and let Talackova compete. Before the matter went to court, the group changed its mind.

Jim Egan – Author

Egan was the first Canadian to publish lengthy articles that were written from a gay perspective. He was also one of Canada’s first openly gay politicians. Egan is best known for a legal battle he and his partner, Jack Nesbit, undertook in 1988 against the Old Age Security Act’s spousal allowance benefit. It marked a significant judgement in favour of GSRD rights in Canada when the Supreme Court read in that sexual orientation is a protected basis of discrimination in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Tegan & Sara – Pop Duo

Tegan and Sara Quin, who are identical twins, were born September 19, 1980, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Tegan and Sara have created ten studio albums in addition to a bibliography titled High School. Among their many accolades and accomplishments are three Juno Awards, two GLAAD Media Awards, two Western Canadian Music Awards, and in 2018, the sisters received the National Arts Centre Award, the esteemed Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.