Queer Connection Lanark, founded in 2014, has become a vital force for belonging in Perth and District.

In 2024, PDCF funded Queer Connection Lanark in partnership with Perth & District Union Public Library to hold the Lanark Speaks: Queer Speaker Series. This series featured five 2SLGBTQI+ community members talking about a range of topics including: drag, sports, gardening, comedy, business and identity. This January, QCL received a PDCF Community Grant to help promote the documentary Lanark County Voices … There’s a Place for Me Here. The film, made by QCL, features thirteen incredible members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, offering a glimpse of what their lives are like in Lanark County.

The documentary weaves their stories together into a vital archive of their insights, struggles and hopes for the future. You will hear how people have built a community; how, amidst many positive changes, the continued need for progress persists.

QCL hopes these and their other initiatives build belonging and create allies across the community. When community comes together, across diversity, we all thrive. Many thanks to QCL for their life-changing work. Follow QCL on Facebook to find out more about their work and upcoming events!

PDCF is proud to have been awarded a 2025 Rainbow Champion Award at this year’s Pride Parade.

From left to right: Elizabeth Snyder (QCL), Victoria Gibb-Carsley (PDCF Executive Director), Youssef Sawan (PDCF Board member), Steve Scott (Board member), Meredith Toivanen (admin assistant) and Terry Daly (Board member). Photo by Stephen Jones