Initially, I was nervous at the idea of coordinating a Queer and Trans Meditation Group, or Sangha. I tried to bring in a mindful approach to planning and organizing, to bring mindful practice into my life in different ways. It was challenging at times!
I feel gratitude for all the organizers and facilitators of queer and trans Sangha’s that have existed in so-called Vancouver in the past. Many people who attended the group I organized shared stories of past groups and how important these have been in their journeys with meditation. There is also a teacher-led group for queer and trans folks that is just for Indigenous peoples, Black peoples and peoples of colour, and several of our members attended both groups.
My hope for this group was for it to be peer-led, providing opportunities for all levels of meditation practitioners to experiment with facilitating the group, planning the group and leading meditations. Some of my most powerful experiences in community have been in peer-led groups, and I like the sense of belonging that being able to participate in different ways can provide for members. It was a joy to see different members of the Sangha begin to take on roles within the group, including welcoming newcomers, leading meditations, offering land acknowledgements and making tea for the group afterwards.
It was also a joy to connect with new people with shared values through practicing meditation and to observe the group facilitate these connections for others. After each group, we made tea and connected about shared interests, experiences as 2SLGBTQIAA+ meditators, exciting food we have tried and many other topics.
We had a wide variety of people with different relationships with meditation attend the group. Our group members include those who teach meditation and those who have never meditated. Having a group for our community is important in creating enough safety to begin to explore meditation. Unfortunately, many queer and trans people have had negative experiences with religions that did not value 2SLGBTQIAA+ people, and some have even survived conversion therapy that was associated with their church.
I hope that this group has provided a sense of community and a connection with a helpful practice that may offer support during these politically challenging times for queer and trans folks. I am happy to report that the group continues on and the Queer and Trans Peer Led Sangha is looking forward to another year of practice!
I am deeply grateful for the support from the Neighbourhood Small Grants program to be able to provide funding for this program.
(I also wanted to note I did not include a picture of the Sangha as I didn’t want anyone to feel pressure to publicly out themselves as being queer or trans – instead I included a spring picture of Third Beach that I took recently)
