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From: Kiki Bar Halifax
Date: June 2, 2024
We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the incredibly warm welcome and overwhelming support we've received since our recent announcement.
Moreover, we deeply appreciate the thoughtful community input we've received regarding our name. We offer our sincerest apologies for the harm we have caused to the Black 2SLGBTQIA+ community and we accept the responsibility of our international approximation of Black vernacular and failure to acknowledge its origins. Your well-being, comfort and safety are paramount to us so we are holding ourselves accountable and acting accordingly.
For those of you who are unaware of the origin of the word "Kiki" from Black ballroom culture, please take a moment to listen to Black queer voices to educate yourselves as we have done. Let this be a learning moment not just for us, but for our whole community on how we can do better to support the beautiful intersectionalty of our diverse community. We also want to acknowledge the labour of our Black community members in educating us and we offer our greatest thanks to you.
Rest assured, we've carefully listened to all the feedback and concerns shared. In line with our commitment to fostering and inclusive and welcoming community, we have decided to change the name of our space to something that will not marginalize or alienate any members of our community.
Creating a space where everyone feels safe, respected, and embraced is our ultimate goal. We understand the importance of selecting a name that reflects these values without compromise.
We had hoped to unveil the new name sooner (hence this statement being delayed) but we decided we don't want to rush the decision. We are diligently working on selecting a new name that truly embodies the spirit of our space. As soon as we reach a decision, we will share it with you.
There will be more information coming out soon on who we are and what the space will be like as we know everyone has lots of questions. We promise that we are aiming to do right by the community in creating a space the community deserves. We are equally as excited to share this with you as you are in learning more about us and our plans, however, until we are ready to share more, we appreciate your patience while we get things together.
Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support. We are committed to making you proud and ensuring that our community continues to thrive.
Happy Pride Month to all!