Maurice Tomlinson often leaves a safe and comfortable life in Canada for the Caribbean, to be a voice for his queer brothers and sisters.

Tomlinson’s transnational activism — from fundraising for a youth shelter in Jamaica to teaching at UOIT about gay rights in the Caribbean — epitomizes a shift in the equal rights movement as the world becomes more connected through migration.

Tomlinson believes Toronto, with its freedoms and an LGBTQ community composed of people from around the world, is poised to become a hub for international organizing.

“Toronto is such a cosmopolitan city with all these diaspora communities from around the world. It just makes total sense for the city to become a home for advocacy for these LGBTQ issues around the world,” said University of Toronto law professor Brenda Cossman.

“We don’t hold out to be the beacon of all LGBTQ issues, but we are able to offer a space where we can have a discussion freely and safely. We do have the openness to bring people together,” added Cossman, who co-chairs the World Pride Human Rights Conference next week.







Like many immigrants who have one foot in Toronto and one foot “back home,” Tomlinson, a trained lawyer from Jamaica, sees his role as being an advocate and educator, informing Canadians about what’s happening to the queer communities in the Caribbean.

“To get that kind of exposure is important — to get the Jamaican government to act, because it is concerned about its international reputation,” noted Tomlinson, 43, who met his Canadian partner at an international conference in Sao Paulo and moved here in June 2012.

“I see myself as a bridge with the community in the global north, who may not know which group to trust or invest their funds.”

Although he is involved in grassroots activism in the Caribbean, for example by holding flash Pride Stands — “We would never get the permission to march” — and launching legal challenges to anti-gay laws in Jamaica and other island nations, Tomlinson said it is crucial to build international allies.

Through broader networks, advocates can share and learn from one another’s experience and “don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”

Born and raised in Tanzania, Karim Ladak came to Canada with his family in the early ’80s, among the earlier wave of immigrant LGBTQ advocates.

The business consultant has been involved in many Toronto community groups, such as Khush, a social group for gay South Asian men, and SALAAM, a support group for queer Muslims. When he was transferred to India for work, he co-founded Bombay Dost, India’s first gay magazine, which is still publishing today.

“The world is getting more connected. With the web and travels, you are no longer isolated. All of these walls are broken with the socialization of people,” said Ladak, 56, who works with a Mumbai-based group to battle the re-criminalization of homosexuality in India via Penal Code section 377.

“Toronto is very uniquely positioned because you just don’t see the same rich cultural composition in other cities.”

Exposure to international LGBTQ issues is what inspired Torontonian Warren Brown to visit India — twice — to learn about gay rights advocacy there and how it might offer lessons for the queer community in Jamaica, his birthplace.

“The two (countries) are quite similar, with homophobia within religions, family expectations, and not-so-accepting cultures,” said Brown, 37, who moved here in 2001. Earlier this year, he travelled to India for a protest objecting to the Supreme Court of India ruling that recriminalized homosexuality.

“Living in Toronto has definitely made me more aware of the world,” Brown said.

Ramraajh Sharvendiran, who was born in Canada to Tamil parents, is a co-host of the weekly radio show Queer Current on CHRY and always tries to cover LGBTQ issues from abroad that don’t get much mainstream exposure here.

Compared with London, England, he said, Toronto’s South Asian community is much more diverse, and Tamils are more visible.

While diversity, exposure, and social media have all contributed to the greater awareness in Toronto of global LGBTQ issues, such as anti-gay laws in Russia and Uganda, Sharvendiran cautions against “slacktivism” — believing that you’ve done your bit by hashtagging a cause or changing your Facebook photo.

Helen Kennedy, executive director of Egale Canada Human Rights Trust, said international LGBTQ issues have become more prominent over the past decade, and it’s important to network with advocates on the ground to get a handle on what help is needed.

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“It’s fantastic they are here so we can educate ourselves from the knowledge they bring,” said Kennedy, who moved here from Ireland in the 1980s. “But we can’t look at other jurisdictions without looking at our situation at home.”

Kennedy says the problems aren’t all beyond our borders, citing Canadian LGBTQ issues such as a high rate of homelessness among queer youth and the need to ensure the equal rights of trans people.

Vijaya Chikermane, of Toronto’s Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, said the rich diversity of the city’s LGBTQ community doesn’t come without challenges, as different cultural groups have their own interests. While some may have clout and political influence, others may be discriminated against because of race or socio-economic class.

To be collaborative, these groups need to listen to one another and not impose on others their concepts about what is right for them.

“WorldPride is an exciting opportunity to have all groups together around these issues,” said Chikermane, who is heterosexual and an immigrant from India. “Our goal is to create the space and platform to work with one other. This is just a beginning.”