gsa-comms

I was two years old in 2003 when same-sex marriage was legalized in Ontario and four years old in 2005 when it was legalized across Canada. I'm lucky to have grown up throughout the ongoing queer liberation movement, surrounded by friends who celebrated queerness. But I’m constantly reminded that the struggle for queer liberation is far from over. It’s easy to become disillusioned while struggling for any form of justice, especially when it feels like little progress is being made. The rise...

(Content warning: sexual violence, gender-based violence, explicit language) For our April book club, we read Halfbreed by Maria Campbell. This memoir details Maria’s life growing up Métis in Saskatchewan, and discusses themes of identity, belonging, addiction, recovery, discrimination, racism, poverty, and violence - including gender-based and sexual violence. It was a really impactful book, and I’d recommend reading it (if anyone is interested, feel free to email gsa-equt@uwaterloo.ca for...

When you start grad school as an international student, you arrive with two suitcases and a lot of excitement. Everything is new—new people, new campus, new routines. You’re eager to dive into research and make the most of this opportunity. But soon, small challenges start adding up. Things take longer—understanding expectations, adjusting to new ways of communicating, figuring out how things work in a different academic system. You watch others move through tasks effortlessly while you...