KPU’s Inaugural Gender and Sexual Equity Symposium
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026
Location: KPU Surrey Conference Centre
Time: 12:30 pm – 4:00 pm | Doors open at 12:00 pm
Following on the success of our Annual Anti-Racism Symposiums, the Office of Equity and Inclusive Communities is excited to invite you to our inaugural Gender and Sexual Equity Symposium.
In a time where hate towards 2SLGBTQIA+ folks is ever growing, we will be centering trans and queer joy by bringing together community members and engaging in meaningful dialogue. The half-day event will feature sharing of ideas about equity and centering the perspectives of 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
Keynote Speaker: Sonali (Alyy) Patel
Bio: Sonali (Alyy) Patel is a trailblazing LGBTQ+ activist, award-winning researcher, author, and speaker on diversity and intersectionality. She is one of Canada’s most prominent advocates for queer South Asian women. At age 22, Alyy founded the Queer South Asian Women’s Network, a thriving Canadian non-profit. She went on to pioneer Canadian research on anti-Brown racism in lesbian communities, with her debut article becoming one of the most cited in the Journal of Lesbian Studies.
In 2023, Alyy was named one of the Top Seven South Asians in Canada for her revolutionary changemaking efforts, and in 2026, she was recognized as a Canadian LGBTQ+ Leader to Be Proud Of. Alyy is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of British Columbia, and the author of the book Don’t Tell My Parents: Queer Diasporic Truths. She has delivered keynote addresses everywhere from corporate workplaces to Pride Toronto’s Dyke March, where she became the first South Asian speaker. With over a decade of speaking, consulting, and community leadership experience, Alyy helps organizations move beyond checkbox diversity toward genuine, intersectional inclusion. Learn more: www.alyypatel.com
Keynote Address: Dual Exile: Being Queer & South Asian
Description: This talk explores the complexities of living at the intersection of South Asian and lesbian identities in Canada. Drawing from her lived experience alongside her eight years of research on the topic, Alyy examines the dual exclusion many queer South Asian women face: queer rejection within Brown families and anti-Brown racism in queer communities. Using a storytelling approach, Alyy unpacks the realities of navigating identity and belonging amid competing family expectations, challenges Western assumptions about what it means to live authentically, and offers practical ways to better support queer people from collectivist cultures.
For queries, please email the Office of Equity and Inclusive Communities at oeic@kpu.ca
Registration is required in order to secure your lunch.
Masks are recommended for this event.
