yamari (Kriol-Miskita/Afro-Indigenous Caribbean) credits her music influences to intimate and faraway memories - from her dad's old tapes and CDs and evenings spent near the sea, to dusty bus rides and anime soundtracks. She explores sounds that center around (but are not limited to) the Americas and the Black diaspora. Always expect the unexpected.
A trans drag king, thing, and everything in between, El Experimento has electrified Canadian and international stages since 2022. A fusion of nostalgic heartthrobs, heartbreakers, and hell-raisers, he brings Latin flare and hunky charm that transcend time and space. He choreographed Oraculum featuring CDR Denim + Pythia at Buddies in Bad Times and currently mentors BIPOC youth. His work has been featured at Pride TO, Luminato, and AIDF 2024. Instagram @_el_experimento
Cultivating a substantial and diverse audience does not always come easy. Yet it appears very natural to artist like LITNEY WORLDWIDE. LITNEY is a queer afro Latinx, underground DJ who plays rave certified bangers with influences from dembow, baile funk, ballroom and Jersey club. The Toronto-based DJ is proving to be one of the city’s most celebrated entertainers amongst local youth, having amassed her following by consistently providing eccentric sets to dance floors across the world including iconic events such as Boiler Room, HOE_MIES Berlin and thee London based Pxssy Palace. Litney has also opened for affluent artist like TOKISCHA and has spent the last few years fostering a community of dedicated supporters and we are all excited to see her flourish as her “Worldwide” manifestations come into fruition. - Glossy Magazine (2023)
THE ONE AND HOLY GAY JESUS is an internationally performing drag king serving a mouth-watering communion of Latine wine and non-binary bread decked out in draglesque. He’s the 2019 FIERCE! International Queer Burlesque Festival’s Producer’s Choice Feature and, that same year, was nominated by the Inspire Awards for LGBTQ Person of the Year. Featured on CBC Arts’ Canada’s a Drag, he’s since become a Special Consultant on their latest season. He’s strutted the stages of lavender wild and Just for Laughs, was a featured performer for Canada Pride 2022, and has become a recurring performer for Prides in Winnipeg, Montreal, and Toronto. In 2024, Gay Jesus was selected as a recipient of the Queer Collective OUTLOUD Program. Most recently, Gay Jesus delivered a smashing debut at the Toronto Burlesque Festival and followed it with his debut at the Austin International Drag Festival as a Featured Performer. Follow the Sultry Saviour on Instagram at @theirholiness
ESCOBUTT is a Colombian born artist, DJ, cultural manager, booker and promoter based in Tkaronto, “Canada”. Their artistic focus is the exploration of gender, satire and entertainment as catalysts that question capitalist systems and sensationalism in identity-constructing media. ESCO likes to play music that reflects their mood and nostalgia. Their DJ sets are usually a mix of Electronic Cumbia, Neo-Guaracha, Reggaeton, Dembow, Raptor House, Latin Club, Jersey, Alternative, Downtempo, RKT, Jungle, Pop edits and their personal vinyl collection. They operate Lewdline, a music forward event series focused on increasing QTBIPOC+ visibility in “Toronto” and abroad. They also mentor emerging DJs at Estrelar Sound. They have performed at Shift Radio and N10AS in Montreal, Radio28 and Radio Nopal in Mexico, Boiler Room in Toronto and more. Their music has been released via Kumbia Net (MEX), Club Felinas (COL), Santa Sede (ARG) and Caballito Netlabel (ESP). They have shared stage with Amantes de Futuro, Orihuela MSS, Turbo Sonidero, Entrañas, Nino Brown, Young Teesh, Bambii, Myst Milano, Jaijiu, Sofia Fly, J0ya and WOST.
Yovska is a Toronto based alternative drag artist and designer. Taking inspiration from discarded toys and monstrous entities, Yovska categorizes themselves as "drag creature", but more specifically "drag plushie". From television, to web space, to performing in events around North America, Yovska continues to spread with their brand of high strangeness.
A pioneer in the global bass scene, Isa GT is a Colombian producer, singer and DJ, based in Berlin. For years, Isa GT has been creating some of the best spaces and queer parties to celebrate gender diversity and queer latinx communities of the diaspora from the mid noughties in London with GIRLCORE to nowadays with Puticlub, one of the top parties in Berlin. She’s always igniting the dancefloor with her fearless mix of future club sounds with a tropical twist. Techno variations fusion with dembow, guaracha, salsa, merengue and cumbia.
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Pronouns: He/ Him /His
Biography:
Victor Perez-Amado is an Assistant Professor (tenure track) at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Urban and Regional Planning. Perez-Amado grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and lived in Miami and Boston before settling in Toronto. He is trained as an architect and urban designer, graduating from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design and the University of Florida.
His academic research centres on aging-in-place studies and multigenerational housing, including in 2SLGBTQI+ communities. These projects include Aging Together and Queering Home, a partnership with Egale-Canada. Before joining TMU, he worked on various masterplans and designs for independent and assisted living, focusing on seniors with dementia and autism in Boston. On another scale of engagement with the city, Perez-Amado is interested in activating public spaces by designing and building interactive and educational installations in the public realm. His methodology is based on theories of placemaking, where he explores prototyping, visualization, activation, and community engagement. These include installations along King Street West, Ontario Place, Winter Stations in the Beaches, and Toronto Climate Action public parks. His work has been exhibited at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park, and the Harvard GSD Grounded Visionaries, among others.
Biography:
Born in Mexico and a refugee in Canada, Viviana Santibañez is a strong community leader working with marginalized communities for over 12 years,
focusing on supporting and advocating for Latinxs living with HIV and 2SLGBTQ+ Latinos refugees. She is also the first Latina woman appointed to the board of directors of the Ontario HIV Treatment Network.
Viviana Santibanez is the founder and director of Vivi’r, a non-profit organization that helps and supports 2SLGBTQ+ immigrants, newcomers, and refugee Latinxs.Viviana connects with the community and refers people to social, legal, and health, running all these services with zero budget. She provides services for non-profit organizations such as Latinos Positivos Toronto, Toronto People Living with AIDS Foundation, Hispanic Canadian Heritage Council, Canada Trans Summit, and Ontario Cohort Studies. Viviana’s work incentivizing the LGBTQ+ community in Latino/Hispanic events has led to work with different communities, institutions, and organizations the support the integration of Latinx to Canada.
Viviana has a background in community health, nursing, community capacity building, and digital communications – She graduated as an Immigration
Consultant and assisted her community at no cost.
Multifaceted, she also represented Canada internationally, bringing the first-ever International Trans pageant title to Canada, where she competed in a trans-advocacy pageant that helped to inspire and empower trans women around the world. She is the first Latina awarded the Inspire LGBTQ Person of the Year in September 2022 by Inspire Awards. She has been recognized as among the 10 most influential Hispanic Canadians since 2022.
Biography:
I am a world majority, Brown, Carib-Indigenous , trini, Indo, Chinese, callaloo, differently-abled, Jurassic and Bionic DYKE, Rainbow Senior/Elder.
Currently: a co-chair of the board of Pride Toronto, the Toronto Senior Pride Network, the board of ODLAN (Ontario Digital Literacy Access Network), trainer with The 519, the Liaison Committee of the ministry of seniors and accessibility, the VHA (Visiting Homemaker’s Association) Pride Working Group, Sinai Health System “Pride is good for your health” committee, a co-facilitator of the Youth/Elders Program of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, a volunteer at Hennick Bridgepoint rehab hospital, a member of True Davidson Acres LTC GSA (gender sexuality alliance), the city of Toronto SSLTC Working Group – developed “Leading and Learning with Pride – A Tool Kit to Support 2SLGBTQI+ SENIORS” (launched June 24/2022) and a co-author of the 2SLGBTQI Best Practice Guidelines of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. Effective November 2023, a member of the Fabulous Stories Project for The Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity – developing Queer Curriculum for high schools and a consultant for The Canada Senior Pride Network.
Humble and privileged recipient of the 2019 Inspire Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2021 Community One Foundation Steinert & Ferreiro Award and the 2023 Jill Andrew (NDP – MPP, Ontario) Community Hero Award.
Featured in the videos “Out At Home”, “The Journey of My Strong Brown Trini Carib Callaloo Dyke Body” – 2016. In 2023, feature length documentary “Supporting Our Selves” from The Community One Foundation.
Honoured DYKE Ambassador and Honoured Rainbow Senior Ambassador – PRIDE TORONTO – 2022
I am an educator, accessibility/accommodation consultant, story teller, sometime actor and a respectful troublemaker, disruptor, infiltrator and agitator 😈.
I live and work from an anti-oppression, anti-racism, Truth and Reconciliation, intergenerational and intersectional perspective. I advocate for Two Spirit, Indigenous, queer and transgender rainbow 🌈 seniors and youth of colour.
I enjoy doubles, dancing, dim sum, a cold beverage and a “trini lime “ anytime.
My EXISTENCE is my RESISTANCE!! Website – lezlieoutofthecloset.com
Biography:
Anmol Budhiraja, a 26-year-old resident of Toronto, ON, is a dynamic individual with a diverse background and a deep commitment to fostering inclusivity. Originally from Jalandhar, Punjab, India, Anmol embarked on a transformative journey to Canada in 2016, initially as a student and now as a settler on the turtle island, proudly calling Toronto home.
As a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Anmol actively contributes to community welfare as a Crisis Response Specialist at 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations. This role has provided them with a profound understanding of the challenges faced by the Two-Spirit, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQ+ community, driving their passion for addressing these issues.
Anmol’s professional journey includes impactful roles as an Executive Assistant, showcasing expertise in grant writing, fundraising, and policy advocacy. Having completed a Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences, Honours Health Studies at the University of Waterloo, Anmol’s dedication to community engagement is evident through their role as a Teaching Assistant.
Beyond their professional and educational pursuits, Anmol’s interests encompass cultural competency, leadership, and continuous learning. Proficient in various tools, from Microsoft Office to Google applications, they bring a tech-savvy approach to their endeavors. Anmol’s diverse background, coupled with a strong commitment to community, positions them as an advocate for positive change, actively contributing to fostering inclusive environments and advancing social causes.
