Help conceptualize the panel, invited speakers, session. Event description below.developed content and moderated a 75 minute

PLENARY PANEL PRESENTATION, Friday October 30, 2026

When Systems Fail, Communities Build: Queer Harm Reduction and Collective Care

PANELISTS:

Mskwaasin Agnew (Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction), Steph Massey (The 519), Nanky Rai (Toronto Street Medics), Ahmed Muslimani (MAX Ottawa), Nick Boyce (Moderator)

In English, with French interpretation

As queer, trans, and Two-Spirit communities have done throughout history, when systems fail to meet our needs, we build our own responses. This plenary panel explores how substance use, harm reduction, sexual wellbeing, and collective care are deeply intertwined in community life, and how we have created innovative, peer-led solutions, from drug checking and overdose prevention to mutual aid and community support, to keep one another safe. With a focus on Ontario and lessons that resonate across geographies, panelists will examine the role of drugs in queer culture and community, challenge pathologizing narratives, and reflect on both the possibilities and limitations of public health approaches. Centering lived experience, the discussion will highlight how community-led harm reduction is not only about responding to crisis, but also about building healthier, more connected futures. This conversation will showcase how queer, trans, and Two-Spirit communities continue to create new models of care, advocate for one another, and imagine futures rooted in dignity, safety, pleasure, and collective wellbeing. Participants will leave with broader understanding of current issues, as well as practical strategies and concrete ideas for strengthening harm reduction and community care.

See the Full Summit Program Guide here.