A Place Where I Belong // Screening at St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church

Please register for this free documentary film screening of "A Place Where I Belong". The director of this award-winning film will be in attendance! After the screening, there will be a drag performance by Makdaddy and an audience talkback with local experts and the filmmaker. Everyone is welcome, no one will be turned away. 

With thanks to the City of Vancouver and the Communities and Artists Shifting Culture Grant. 

Trailer and Synopsis

Facing a system that fails to recognize their full humanity, six 2SLGBTQIA+ people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) fight for visibility, love, and freedom through Connecting Queer Communities, a radical program that’s at risk of disappearing. Through CQC, the protagonists find safety and solidarity while exploring their sexual desire and gender. People with I/DD are often excluded from queer community by their caregivers’ discomfort with their sexuality, segregated from society to the point where they don’t have the experience to describe their queer identity. CQC models for the world how inclusivity can transform lives so that everyone can find a place where they belong.

6:30pm - Doors open
7:00pm - Short Welcome & Film starts
8:15pm - Drag Performance
8:30pm - Talkback with guests/experts
9:30 - End of Event

This event includes:
ASL Interpretation
closed captions for the film
wheelchair accessibility
& a low-stim area

Panelists

Rheanna Toy, film director, A Place Where I Belong
Rheanna Toy is a documentary filmmaker and videographer who has spent over a decade making videos in the community living sector. Her previous work led her to CQC: Connecting Queer Communities, a pilot program supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. After hearing from the program's organizers about barriers faced by queer people with IDD, she asked if she could pursue an independent film on the topic. What began as an exploration became a longer documentary commitment, shaped through months of relationship-building, trust, and on-the-ground filming. She created the film to expand public understanding of disability, queer belonging, and inclusion - and to help ensure these stories are seen, valued, and protected.

Kelsey Savage, Connecting Queer Communities
Kelsey Savage (she/her) has worked in clinical and educational sexual health since 2014. She’s a queer and nonbinary writer, disability advocate, and the Founder and Manager of the Connecting Queer Communities project.

Colin Phillips, First United
Colin Phillips (he/him) is a policy professional and educator who has spent his career finding solutions to the homelessness and housing insecurity that the most marginalized in society experience. He is Principal at Rowan Tree Solutions and works with clients such as the United Property Resource Corporation, producing critical research and analysis of the housing market in Canada. Colin has also been a social work educator for almost a decade, and is currently an Adjunct Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia. Colin holds a MSW from the University of Toronto and a PhD in Policy Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University. His dissertation contextualized the Housing First method of addressing homelessness within the era of a shrinking social safety net. Colin’s other passion is harm reduction and drug policy reform.

In 2018, Colin was the first person with visible disabilities to be nominated to serve as Moderator of the United Church of Canada. He was previously a member of the General Council Executive, and Chair of the Church Board at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church. He has also been active in the labour movement and 2SLGBTQ community. Colin lives in Vancouver, is a Registered Social Worker in BC, and is happiest on the seawall or at the gym.

Colin Darge, Connecting Queer Communities
Colin Darge is a gay man and self-advocate. Before CQC: Connecting Queer Communities, he co-founded a queer social group for people with diverse abilities that is no longer in operation. Since then, he has advocated for the importance of a similar group. He was the inspiration for CQC, and is very happy it is still running so he can be a part of queer community and be with his queer friends.

Makdaddy, Drag Performer
Meet the Big Belly Baddie of Vancouver. Makdaddy brings joy, glitter, and a little neurospicy magic wherever she goes. With ADHD powered creativity, big emotions, and a mind that moves as fast as her booty - she transforms every wonderfully messy part of herself into something unforgettable. Serving body, face, and all her emotions on a platter, Makdaddy will give you a feast for the senses.