At Saskatoon Co-op, we celebrate diversity and inclusion, encouraging our team members to bring their whole selves to work.

Pride is celebrated in June because of the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York, USA. Those riots against police raiding gay bars became a catalyst for the gay rights movements. The following year in 1970, thousands of people walked the streets of New York, later known as America’s first Pride parade. Over the last 50 years, progress has been made for Pride, but there are still many reasons to continue fighting for the inclusion and rights of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities. We are continuing our learning journey and encourage you to do the same. 

We're pleased to have sponsored OutSaskatoon's Community BBQ "Welcome to the Gaybourhood" and served delicious food to everyone! Engaging and showing support in the community through these actions is just one of the ways we celebrate inclusivity!

ABOUT OUTSASKATOON

OUTSaskatoon began as Gay & Lesbian Health Services (GLHS) in 1991. By the will and the way of Dr. Sheri McConnell and Gens Hellquist, GLHS was created to address the mental, social, emotional, and physical health needs of gay men and lesbians in Saskatchewan. GLHS’s first two employees worked half-time and offered a peer support phone line, educational information and resources, and facilitated a variety of support/social groups, all of which remain important elements of our programming today.

In 2005, GLHS changed its name to The Avenue Community Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity in order to better reflect the wide communities that it served, and in homage to its location in the Avenue Building on 3rd Avenue. In 2008, a relocation to 21st St West in Riversdale, offered a much larger space for offices, drop-in, and group meetings, to better serve the growing number of people accessing services, as well as a growing staff. Over the next seven years, The Avenue Community Centre worked to support the 2SLGBTQ community through increased education services, the addition of a sexual health clinic, a responsive and expanding list of social support groups, and an increased public presence in the province.

In April 2015, the board of directors elected to change the name of the centre to OUTSaskatoon in order to increase visibility and take a brave step "OUT" into the larger community. Around the same time, OUTSaskatoon started to look into housing needs for 2SLGBTQ and ultimately opened Pride Home in January 2017. Pride Home houses up to six 2SLGBTQ youth ages 16-21 and provides a supported independent living through a holistic, youth-centred philosophy. Over the years, OUTSaskatoon expanded to the entire top floor of the Habitat for Humanity building to support thousands of people who use our drop-in services, access our social and support groups, and receive education and diversity training. With all of this growth, we relocated to 213 Ave C S in August of 2019. Just a short 140 meters away, the new location is double the size and street front for the very first time in OUTSaskatoon's history.

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