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“It’s been beautiful, and we’ve been so lucky to have venues welcome us and even ask us to come,” she said.

Sometimes they even have lineups for the events, so it shows the need for them in our community.

“Our wine night happens at Two Faces every Tuesday, and typically the second Tuesday of the month is our BIPOC night,” Oleynikov said. “Two Faces has been our biggest supporter from the start.”

The BIPOC events have allowed them to provide a space for folks that identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of colour that are also queer, acknowledging and supporting the intersection of identities.

Oleynikov said her dear friend Eva Vasquez runs the BIPOC nights, and they also have a great group of volunteers who show up, help with the doors and more.

“There’s a wonderful community who are committed to making queer spaces for everyone, and they all deserve recognition,” Oleynikov said.

For her, these events are life-changing, because growing up she was accustomed to being one of the only “gay kids” around.

“That’s part of the reason I want to reach out, because I know there are so many folks in ���߲ݴ�ýor nearby that don’t know queer spaces exist and I would love to avoid anyone feeling as lonely as I did in high school,” she said.

Oleynikov came to ���߲ݴ�ýfor university and decided to stay after being so warmly welcomed here. As a younger individual, she also sees the need to expand events to reach older age groups and be inclusive that way as well.

“We would love to see some expansion in the demographics we hit,” Oleynikov said. “We see a lot of 20- to 30-year-olds and would love to make sure queers who are above 30 know it’s a safe space for them, too.”

If folks are interested in having events just for older groups, that might be possible in the future.

One event that has been a lot of fun is the Dungeons and Drag-Queers campaign at (). They even have a Discord group for the players to chat online.

Another that promises to be a real kick for everyone is the Giddy Up queer line dancing party, set for Sunday Sept. 28 from 7 to 10 p.m. at (). They started out dancing at (.) but sold so many tickets they had to move to a bigger space.

Of course, these different events cater to different groups and align with their interests, but they often have cross-over participation. The queer line dancing has been enjoyed by a much larger audience who love to be active and try something new.

“Some people want a casual and chill wine night, and others like to come out and dance,” Oleynikov said.

Although the events embody different themes and ideas, the main point is to strengthen the whole.

“As a harm reduction worker, I think that having space for the community is harm reduction work in itself,” Oleynikov said. “The less isolated and lonely we feel, at least in my experience, the less likely we are to engage in behaviours with a level of risk or damage. And the more that we connect with each other, the more joy we can generate naturally. I think that’s what keeps me going.”

On Tuesday, Oct. 7, folks can come support the Downtown ���߲ݴ�ýQueer Art Crawl from 6 to 10 p.m. There will be vendors, drag, live music, a scavenger hunt and flash tattoos.

For more information about upcoming events, or to contact organizers, visit @queernightout_guelph on . Visit the to sign up for some fun, queer opportunities.

You can also email qnoguelph@gmail.com.