Carl Meadows will never forget meeting Giuseppe, a young gay man from America. With a Syrian passport, Giuseppe lived in the US without citizenship and decided to come to Canada with hope for a life with full equality.
The story of his journey only reinforced Meadows’ belief that something had to be done to help LGBT people facing persecution in countries where homosexuality is not only considered a sin, but a crime. A crime punishable by death.
That was five years ago; Giuseppe is now a Canadian citizen and Meadows is at the helm of the Foundation of Hope, a public foundation whose aim is to aid organizations across Canada working to bring queer refugees to Canada.
Rainbow Refugee in Vancouver and Rainbow Railroad in Toronto are two such non-profits who to date, have helped more than 25 LGBT people relocate to safer soil.
“These are OUR people, our brothers and sisters who want the same life we do,” says Meadows. “I’m a privileged white man who grew up in Vancouver and what I’ve discovered is that privilege is when you think something doesn’t relate to you.”
A soft launch last summer has seen the Foundation of Hope’s fundraising efforts steadily climb, and with the funds, Meadows and his board are producing grants to provide services related to everything from citizenship sponsorship and settlement to housing and health care.
Their foundation – completely volunteer-run - is the first one of its kind in the world and Meadows says, “[it] has been built on the same foundation of Canadian values – giving back, caring and offering what you can, when you can.”
A long time supporter of the Queer Film Festival, Meadows, along with Drew Dennis and Amber Dawn created the annual Migrant Voices film program in 2010. A staple of the festival each year, Migrant Voices documents the stories and voices of LBGT migrants, and helped serve as the impetus for the creation of the Foundation of Hope.
Foundation of Hope launches their STRUT fundraising campaign Friday, March 28 at The Junction. Hosted by Symone the evening features keynote speakers, live African music, and the chance to register for the walk-a-thon June 6 at Sunset Beach.
• For more information and registration for STRUT visit STRUTVancouver.ca
