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En 1993, Nathalie effectue son premier contact avec la communauté Gaie et Lesbienne auprès de Jeunesse Lambda. Puis, en 1994, elle devient cofondatrice de l’Association Gais et Lesbiennes du Cégep du Vieux Montréal : elle en deviendra la présidente l’année suivante et organisera subséquemment les semaines de la Fierté gaie dans le Cégep, et ce, pendant 3 ans.
En 1993, elle prend la parole pour le volet jeunesse pendant les audiences publiques organisées par la Commission des droits de la personne du Québec sur la discrimination et la violence vécues par les gais et les lesbiennes au Québec. L’année suivante, le rapport intitulé « De l’illégalité à l’égalité » est déposé à l’Assemblée nationale. Il comprend 41 recommandations visant à contrer les discriminations persistantes à l’endroit des personnes homosexuelles.
En 1996, Nathalie se joint au comité fondateur du RLQ/QLN. De 1993 à 2003, elle sera intervenante au GRIS Montréal afin de démystifier l’homosexualité dans les écoles. De 1994 à 2001, elle participe à plusieurs émissions de télévision sur l’homosexualité et accroit la discussion sur la visibilité lesbienne. Sportive à ses heures, Nathalie participe aux 1ᵉʳˢ Out Games à Montréal, en 2006. En 2012, elle sera chargée de projet pour la Fondation Émergence afin de sensibiliser les communautés culturelles à l’homosexualité.
Dès 1996, Nathalie sera coanimatrice de l’émission de radio la Ballade des Furies, qui deviendra Lesbo-sons, qu’elle anime depuis 2005, sur les ondes de CKUT 90.3 FM. Nathalie demeure une des rares voix de lesbiennes pionnières dans le paysage radiophonique québécois. En 2019, elle revient au RLQ comme vice-présidente du CA. Puis, un an plus tard elle y siège comme présidente.
En janvier 2020, elle reçoit une médaille de l’Assemblée Nationale afin de souligner ses 27 ans de bénévolat au sein de la communauté LGBTQ.
Marie-Andrée Gauthier studied social communications at the Université du Québec in Trois-Rivières. For the past six years, she has been the general coordinator of the Réseau des tables régionales de groupes de femmes du Québec, a provincial forum designed to facilitate feminist analysis throughout Quebec’s regions. Marie-Andrée has been active for many years in the feminist sphere, notably working on sexual assault prevention lt and the collective defense of women’s rights. She is particularly interested in the issues faced by women in the different regions of Quebec.
They have been an activist involved in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community for several years. Very active in their communities, they were involved with several activist organizations such as Pride at Work Canada, Club Sexu and the Lesbian Network of Quebec – of which they are currently sits on the board of directors. In all their projects, Marika is renowned for their human approach, their sense of the avant-garde and continuous reinvention. It is their dedication to inclusion and diversity that pushes us to challenge borders and perspectives.
Marie holds a bachelor degree in psychology (UQTR), and a graduate degree in art therapy (UQAT). She is currently finishing her bachelor degree in visual and media arts at UQAM, where she was able to develop an activist practice, focusing mainly on speciesism and heteronormativity.
Marie is happy to be part of the RLQ board, wishing to invest in a more relational and social field, and to further anchor her actions within the LGBTQ+/lesbian community itself, alongside her university research.
Longtemps militante du milieu syndical et féministe, Carole à toujours eu à cœur la défense des droits, particulièrement ceux des personnes marginalisées. Elle débute son mandat avec l’espoir de contribuer à augmenter la visibilité des lesbiennes de toutes origines et de faire connaître et reconnaître leurs réalités.
Marilou LeBel Dupuis est une Saguenéenne bisexuelle et enseignante de formation. Amoureuse des mots, de la justice sociale, des études féministes et queers, iel achève présentement une maîtrise en création littéraire. Après s’être impliquée dans diverses associations étudiantes, iel est heureuse d’avoir rejoint le CA du RLQ, d’où iel continue à militer pour le respect des personnes 2SLGBTQIA+.
Je me nomme Alexandra Cossette-Lesage et je suis administratrice du RLQ. Je viens de la région de Lévis en banlieue de la ville de Québec. Détentrice d’un baccalauréat en administration des affaires et d’un autre en informatique, je travaille pour la fonction publique québécoise depuis 2005. Je suis aussi une passionnée de tatouages et de bonne bouffe!
M’identifiant comme lesbienne, il était tout naturel pour moi de devenir membre du RLQ. C’est à la suite de l’assemblée générale annuelle de 2018 que j’ai décidé de m’impliquer plus activement au sein de l’organisme en devenant membre du CA et en participant à diverses activités de la communauté LGBTQ+. D’abord la L Marche, puis la journée communautaire furent mes premières expériences auprès de la communauté.
Mon implication au RLQ va me permettre de faire valoir les droits et intérêts de toutes les femmes de la diversité sexuelle. De plus, j’aimerais assurer une visibilité pour ces femmes de la région de Chaudière-Appalaches et de toutes les autres régions du Québec. J’ai aussi l’intention de participer à divers sous-comités du RLQ de même qu’à d’autres évènements de la communauté. Longue vie au RLQ!
During her doctorate in communications at the University of Montreal, Tara specialized in media representations of lesbian, bisexual and queer women, including Quebec television, as well as on lesbian spaces and identity issues for women of diversity sexual violence in Montreal from 1980 to today. She has given numerous conferences on her research, notably as part of the first European Lesbian Conference in Vienna in 2017, as well as written several publications in journals such as Lesbian studies (2021) and Recherches Féministes (2020). As part of her postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Public Health of the University of Montreal in 2021-2022, she worked on mental health and substance use issues among young LGBTQ+ populations.
Tara has also been a lecturer in the bachelor’s degree in communication at the University of Montreal since 2015. Her approach aims to critically examine discourses and norms concerning gender and sexuality. She also occasionally speaks in the media on these issues, notably on Radio-Canada and in the written press.
Cynthia est diplômée d’un baccalauréat en sexologie de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (2016) et détient un certificat en entrepreneuriat et gestion de PME de l’Université Laval (2018). Depuis ses études en sexologie, elle s’intéresse aux communautés LGBTQ+. Son intérêt pour le féminisme l’a poussé à vouloir travailler avec les femmes et à défendre leurs droits. En 2017, grâce à un contrat estival, elle aura la chance de travailler au RLQ. En 2020, elle est désormais de retour au sein de l’équipe, à titre d’adjointe à la direction.
Titulaire d’un baccalauréat en Beaux-Arts de l’Université Concordia (2012), elle concrétise son ambition de créer une plateforme visant à offrir une ressource aux communautés lesbiennes, Lez Spread The Word, le premier site bilingue du genre au Canada. En 2014, elle lance la série de fiction FÉMININ/FÉMININ, avec la réalisatrice Chloé Robichaud, qui remporte deux Prix Gémeaux et plusieurs prix internationaux en 2015. En 2016, elle publie le premier magazine LSTW, une publication annuelle bilingue pancanadienne de 230 pages qui se démarque en boutique à travers les provinces canadiennes, les capitales d’Europe et les grandes villes américaines.
Kassandra holds a certificate in archival science from the Université de Montréal’s École de bibliothéconomie et des sciences de l’information (EBSI), and went on to study digital information management in order to hone her skills in the dissemination of historical heritage, a field in which she has been working since 2019. That same year, she was awarded the Michel Champagne Excellence Scholarship for her remarkable academic career and her vision of a career in archival science. She is currently aiming to obtain her BACCUM by completing a certificate in investigation and intelligence, while continuing to practice as an archivist.
Kassandra defines herself as a guardian of historical heritage, an avid bibliophile, a devotee of the visual arts and an amateur knitter, as well as being a painter in her spare time.
A proud butch lesbian and Montrealer by adoption, she interned at the RLQ from January to June 2024 as part of her studies at Sciences Po Toulouse. During her internship, she in charge of a pan-Canadian research project on discrimination experienced by lesbians.
In 1993, Nathalie made her first contact with the Gay and Lesbian community with Jeunesse Lambda. Then, in 1994, she co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Association of Cégep du Vieux Montreal: she became its president the following year and then organized the Gay Pride weeks at the Cégep for 3 years.
In 1993, she spoke for the youth component during public hearings organized by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse du Québec (CDPDJ) on discrimination and violence experienced by gays and lesbians. The following year, the report entitled “From Illegality to Equality” is introduced to the National Assembly of Quebec. It includes 41 recommendations to counter persistent discrimination against homosexuals.
In 1996, Nathalie joined the founding committee of the RLQ / QLN. From 1993 to 2003, she will be involved with GRIS Montreal to demystify homosexuality in schools. From 1994 to 2001, she participated in several television shows about homosexuality and increased the discussion on lesbian visibility. In 2006, Nathalie participated in the 1st Out Games in Montreal. In 2012, she worked as a project manager for Fondation Émergence to sensitize cultural communities to homosexuality.
In 1996, Nathalie became the co-host of the radio show La Ballade des Furies, which will become Lesbo-sons, years later, in 2005. Since then, she hosts this show on CKUT 90.3 FM and thus remains one of the few pioneering lesbian voices in Quebec’s radio landscape.
In January 2020, she received a medal from the National Assembly of Quebec to mark her 27 years of volunteering in the LGBTQ + community.
In 2019, she returned to the RLQ as the vice-president of the board members. Then, a year later, she became its president.
For a long time union and feminist activist, Carole has always taken to heart the defense of rights, particularly those of marginalized people. She begins her mandate with the hope of helping to increase the visibility of lesbians of all origins and to make their realities known and recognized.
Marilou LeBel Dupuis is a bisexual and a trained teacher from Saguenay. A lover of words, social justice, feminist and queer studies, she is currently completing a master’s degree in creative writing. After getting involved in various student associations, she is happy to have joined the RLQ Board of Directors, where she continues to campaign for the respect of 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
I’m Alexandra Cossette-Lesage, a member of the board of directors of the QLN. I’m from the Lévis region, in the suburbs of Quebec City. I own a BA in business administration and another one in computer sciences; I’ve been working for the provincial governmemt since 2005. I am also passionate about tattoo and great food! As a lesbian, it was natural for me to become a member of the QLN. After the annual general meeting of 2018, I decided to become more involved in the organisation by becoming a member of the board of directors and participating in some activities for the LGBTQ+ communnity. My first particiation was at the L March, then at the community day the next week! Those were my first events with and for the community and I really enjoyed myself! As for my involvements with the QLN, I want to promote the rights and interests of all women of the sexual diversity. Also, I would like to give a voice to all these women from the Chaudière-Appalaches region and all the other regions of Québec. I will also participate in some sub-comities of the QLN and other events of the community. Long live to the QLN !
Cynthia holds a bachelor’s degree in sexology from the University of Quebec in Montreal (2016) and holds a certificate in entrepreneurship and small business management from Université Laval (2018). Since her studies in sexology, she has been interested in LGBTQ + communities. Her interest in feminism led her to want to work with women and defend their rights. In 2017, thanks to a summer contract, she had the chance to work at the RLQ. In 2002, she is now back on the team as an administrative officer.
She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University and has spent the last 10 years working to ‘spread the word’ and increase visibility for lesbians within and outside of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2012, she created a platform to provide a resource to lesbian communities, Lez Spread The Word, the first bilingual website of its kind in Canada. In 2014, she launched the FÉMININ / FÉMININ television series, with director Chloé Robichaud, who won two Gemini Awards and several international prizes in 2015. In 2016, she published the first LSTW magazine, a 230-page bilingual annual magazine that stands out in stores across Canadian provinces, European capitals and major US cities.
