Outreach and Communications Coordinator
Hello GEM community! My name is Beau Houle and I use they/ them pronouns. I have been involved with the Centre for several years in a variety of roles, and I am so delighted to re-introduce myself as the new Outreach and Communications Coordinator!
I am a queer, non-binary, third-generation settlerof mixed European heritage and working-class status. My perspective is also shaped by my experiences living in a thin, feminized body with invisible disabilities and chronic illness.
I was born and raised on Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Petun territory, and have lived on unceeded lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ lands since 2017. I am entering my final semester of my double major in Honours Gender Studies and Indigenous Studies with a minor in Art Education.
I am fiercely passionate about the arts, accessible social justice education, and community building as tools in service of our collective liberation. I am looking forward to much dynamic collaboration with the GEM collective and our surrounding communities as we continue our powerful and necessary advocacy work!
You can contact Beau via email at gemcentre@uvss.ca.
GEM Board Representative
Hey! I’m Eric (they/them), a queer, non-binary, white settler of mixed European descent. I was raised on the territories of the Qualicum First Nation and Snaw-naw-as Mustimuxw Nation and now live here on lək̓ʷəŋən Territory, home to the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ. I am in the final year of my major in Honours Gender Studies and a minor in Applied Ethics. I am passionate about discussing all things gender, settler colonialism, sexuality, and trans-inclusive feminism. Please feel welcome to visit the GEM Centre in B107 of the Student Union Building to say hello and chat. You may also contact me directly via email: gemrep@uvss.ca.
I am thrilled to take on the role of the Gender Empowerment Centre (GEM) Board Representative! As the representative, my responsibilities are to collaborate with other advocacy groups, act as a liaison between the GEM and the UVSS, amplify events and outreach, and advocate for the interests of the GEM community. I have been a GEM collective member since 2020. During this time, I have provided UVic students with GEM’s Gender Diversity Workshop, assisted with GEM’s annual Sexpo, and co-facilitated the Non-Binary/Gender Non-Confirming Community Circle.
You can contact Eric via email at gemrep@uvss.ca.