Gender & Sexual Diversity

Our Goals:

• To make efforts to dismantle forms of discrimination based on gender and sexual identity through our programs, practices, and education.
• To ensure the Y supports the advancement of women and members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
• To develop equity-oriented gender and sexual diversity initiatives, applying them consistently across the Y with attention to intersecting identities.

This focus area supports the advancement of several different communities, including women and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. The YMCA of Greater Toronto uses the terms “women” and “men” to be inclusive of cisgender and transgender women and men while also recognizing each group’s unique experiences and barriers. Our work and thinking on gender extends beyond the binary of men and women, taking into account the existence, experiences, and concerns of Two-Spirit, non-binary, and other gender-non-conforming identities denoted in the 2SLGBTQIA+ acronym and beyond.

Our work in this area also recognizes misunderstandings about the relationship between gender, sex, and sexuality, and how these misconceptions compound discrimination. We acknowledge that sex exists beyond the biological male-female binary, including intersex individuals, and that sexuality extends beyond heterosexuality to include identities such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and asexual. 

The 2SLGBTQIA+ acronym is not an exhaustive list of identities, and the Y is open to learning and changing as we work with communities, knowing that language around gender and sexual diversity continues to evolve. We also acknowledge that the communities described within this focus area are not homogeneous and include people with many intersecting experiences. 

We are committed to dismantling forms of gender, sex, and sexual identity-based discrimination and advancing the inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. An example of equity programming designed and offered specifically for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities by the Y is YMCA Sprott House.