“Don’t Throw Glitter on our Carpet”: Cultivating Queer Safe Space(s) in Halifax

Abstract

This project examines 2SLGBTQ+ safe spaces in Halifax to understand the experiences people have in these spaces and the cultivation work involved in maintaining them. Informed by queer and intersectional theories, the project asks: How do queer safe spaces in Halifax operate? Why? What successes and challenges do they face in their day-to-day maintenance? I interviewed individuals who operate and use queer spaces in Halifax to focus on the relational work necessary for maintaining them and use literature to situate the analysis in the city’s particular social and political context. Participants’ narratives demonstrate that: queer safe spaces are cultivated (and re-cultivated) through an ongoing and relational process; intentionality is integral to achieving goals; active transgression of heteronormativity through continued acts of ‘queering’ space is vital; and cultivating safe space is a complex process and cannot be understood with a singular, static concept of ‘safety.’