Queer Centre Comox Valley (QCCV)’s welcoming, casual vibe is apparent in a recent Instagram post: “Want to grow your queer community roots, feeling alone, want to make friends, or have a free coffee? Come hang out! Bring family, a friend, or your latest knitting project.”
This new society based on love and inclusivity aims to bring together local queer and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, share space with like-minded groups with similar goals, and to establish a permanent queer space in the Valley. In the meantime, they’re building community and solidarity within the Comox Valley and with other communities around the island.
“The idea became more inclusive: a more holistic queer centre — for everyone, not just artists.”
How it started
In 2024, two local artists, Jojo Jaeger (he/they) and meika johnson (they/them), were working together to organize the Comox Valley’s first pride-themed art show, Chromophobia, on behalf of the Queer for Queer (Q4Q) Artist Collective. (Both Jaeger and Johnson had been instrumental in establishing Q4Q in spring 2024.) They began talking about creating a more permanent communal art space as a way to market their work. Then the idea became more inclusive: a more holistic queer centre—for everyone, not just artists. In the following days, as they spoke to others, it was clear that people liked the idea.
That autumn, a small working group was formed, and within months they had started a Discord server, created a website with a lively events calendar, and launched a newsletter. By February, they were officially registered as the Queer Centre Vancouver Island Community Resource and Education Society.
The group’s main aim is to build and “foster a resilient, supportive queer network.” And, as the “centre” in the name implies, they are looking for a permanent, bricks-and-mortar home. “Right now, Queer Centre is our living room,” says Jaeger.
However, even without its own building, Queer Centre Comox Valley has already begun creating a thriving community. “There’s a lot of power in having an event every single week,” notes board member Ansa Herriotts (she/her), who also volunteers by creating marketing materials and maintaining the website.
The group promotes any queer event, regardless of who’s hosting it. Gatherings like the weekly Coffee and Chill at Foundry, monthly art collective socials at Comox Valley Art Gallery (CVAG), intergenerational Rainbow Gatherings by the Affirm Committee, and Queers and Cheers events at local pubs are now staples of QCCV’s calendar.
Because of the Comox Valley’s tight, expensive real estate situation, a suitable headquarters—a consistent, sustainable, and welcoming space for future generations—may take some time to find.
Queer Centre’s ideal location is somewhere in the area between Fourth and Eighth streets in downtown Courtenay. This area is walkable and offers reasonable bus accessibility. Office space is a must—the board is interested in sharing space with other non-profits—as is some space for just hanging out. A headquarters with a venue space would allow for larger events and even hosting shows and performances. A full kitchen, like the ones they currently have access to at both Foundry and Comox Valley Art Gallery, is high on the priority list.
“There’s a lot of synergy with people you meet through the centre. There’s a lot of excitement and inspiration.” — Jen Ritchie
Queer Centre’s organizers have been networking and sharing info with queer groups and community leaders in other Island communities like Parksville, Qualicum, Nanaimo, Tofino, Port Alberni, and Campbell River, with help from the Old Schoolhouse’s Creative QueerPreneur Program.
Within the Valley, membership and engagement is growing thanks to word of mouth, the Discord server, the mailing list, and even the local newspaper. Jen Ritchie (she/her), Queer Centre Comox Valley’s secretary, says, “I think there was a longing for this kind of community.” She adds, “There’s a lot of synergy with people you meet through the centre. There’s a lot of excitement and inspiration.”
There’s no doubt that Queer Centre has hit the ground running. They’ve already become the go-to local information source about local queer events, organizing the 2025 Pride Parade in conjunction with Weird Church Cumberland, and, on a more sombre note, they organized Trans Day of Remembrance 2025 (in honour of transgender people around the world who’ve been lost to murder and suicide), with CVAG, Comox Valley Transition Society, Weird Church, and the Pride Society on November 20.
They’ve also started fundraising for a home. Board member Skyler McGavel (he/they) led the group’s first major fundraising event: Love Circus, a dance party in May 2025 at the Comox Legion that also included burlesque and drag performances.Starting in January 2026, QCCV plans monthly “Pay the Rent” parties with a $20 entry fee, local DJs, and a cash bar, and there will be other larger fundraisers later in the year.
It’s not all parties, and it’s a lot of work, but Queer Centre’s story reflects the power of collective organization to create a community and start building. Ritchie, Herriotts, and Jaeger all agree that they’ve learned a lot over the past year, both with Pride and with their work so far with Queer Centre. “Imagine Pride next year,” Jaeger muses. “There are special places where queer folk know it’s safe to be themselves. With teamwork and time, this could become one of them.”
