The recently targeted billboard at Hamilton Artists Inc. will be left up as a symbol of resilience

On Sept. 29, 2024, Hamilton Artists Inc. shared on Instagram that their billboard at the corner of Cannon St. W and James St. N had been targeted by vandalism. “This graffiti began with a transphobic meme taped onto our billboard, moving to transphobic comments written in sharpie, until finally ripping the billboard all the way across,” reads the statement.

Hamilton Artists Inc. reported the vandalism as a hate incident via the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre's online form.

Hamilton Artists Inc is a not-for-profit, artist-run organization which facilitates arts programing such as workshops, lectures, and gallery exhibitions. The “Trans Lives are Sacred” billboard was created as part of a billboard exchange with The New Gallery in Calgary in response to an increase in anti-2SLGBTQQIA+ legislation in Alberta. Non-binary illustrator Ris Wong was commissioned to create the art piece, which was installed this past summer.

Wong shared with the Silhouette that they were excited about having their artwork displayed in Hamilton. “I think because I move around and stuff, understanding the idea of space and trans folks needing to create that community space ourselves and [connect] with each other ... It was really cool to know across the country that there [are] these artist spaces, there’s these spaces that folks are trying to create and that my piece could be so simultaneously far away from where I’m physically located but also be able to be displayed somewhere else where there’s other community members living,” said Wong.

It was really cool to know across the country that there [are] these artist spaces, there’s these spaces that folks are trying to create and that my piece could be so simultaneously far away from where I’m physically located but also be able to be displayed somewhere else where there’s other community members living.

Ris Wong, artist

The illustration for the billboard was inspired by a piece Wong created for Kait Hatch’s “Sacred Love/Sacred Lives” project. Wong, along with other artists who are trans, queer, or disabled, have contributed digital artwork featuring phrases such as “Trans Love is Sacred” and “Disabled Lives are Sacred” for Hatch to embroider.

 The illustration depicts vines with thorns and flowers and the words “Trans Lives are Sacred” and “Trans Joy is Sacred.” “Thorns are very resilient. Plants grow thorns because they want to protect themselves. It’s a natural way of evolving to be a defensive measure ... it fit really well together with the imagery,” said Wong.

Wong is currently located in Vancouver and said they heard about the vandalism over email.

“I think it’s quite common for murals and things that are in public spaces to have people write on it. I expect a sort of interaction with things like this,” said Wong. “It was both unsurprising but also kind of shocking [that] someone was so angry or felt so wronged by something that probably didn’t really affect them.”

It was both unsurprising but also kind of shocking [that] someone was so angry or felt so wronged by something that probably didn’t really affect them.

Ris Wong, artist

“It feels like the more visibility that queer and trans folks have gotten, the more of a target we’ve become. We want to fight for that visibility of being out there and knowing that we exist. But also now that we’re so visible, now we can be these very very prominent targets of policy, backlash and hate," said Wong.

After discussing the matter with Wong, Hamilton Artists Inc. decided to leave the billboard on display and add further to the artwork. “I don’t think that removing it or hiding that this happened is a way of showing resilience. I actually really love the idea that it doesn’t really matter. I expressed in the work that vines grow back. Things stay, they’re resilient, they resist being removed,” said Wong.

“It’s a good thing having the billboard stay there with [the] damage and having other community members work around it or over it. There’s this statement that you can try to remove us and you can damage and enact this kind of violence but we’re still here, we still exist and you can’t do anything about it. Our community stands together in spite of it,” said Wong.

There’s this statement that you can try to remove us and you can damage and enact this kind of violence but we’re still here, we still exist and you can’t do anything about it. Our community stands together in spite of it.

Ris Wong, artist

Wong noted that there are plans to invite a local artist or an arts collective to work around or over the damage. The billboard is currently on display at Hamilton Artists Inc. located at 155 James Street North.

Header image: Hamilton Artists Inc. executive director Derek Jenkins.

The Integrity Commissioner’s report was unethical and here’s why

By: Lauren O'Donnell, Contributor

Folks, we need to talk. It’s time to take a hard look at what’s going on in this city — our city. More specifically, in the hallowed halls of Hamilton City Hall.

It’s no secret City Hall has a checkered past with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. If you’re not familiar with what happened in 2SLGBTQIA+ politics in Hamilton last year, here’s a comprehensive guide by former Silhouette News Editor, Trisha Gregorio. For a number of reasons, including that a city employee has an alleged history as a neo-nazi leader, the Hamilton LGBTQ advisory committee requested that Hamilton City Hall not fly the Pride and trans flags. City Hall chose to fly the flags anyway.

For a number of reasons, including that a city employee has an alleged history as a neo-nazi leader, the Hamilton LGBTQ advisory committee requested that Hamilton City Hall not fly the Pride and trans flags. City Hall chose to fly the flags anyway.

But why am I talking about this now? Early this year, the Volunteer Chair of the LGBTQ advisory committee, Cameron Kroetsch, made comments disparaging Hamilton City Council. Shortly after, an integrity commissioner investigation was launched against him, at the council’s request. The accusations that were made against him were allegedly incorrect, something which was not mentioned in the final report. Instead, the integrity commissioner issued a report recommending that Kroetsch be reprimanded and should consider stepping down from his role.

Several people and organizations, including former Hamilton Citizen of the Year Graham Crawford and the Hamilton Community Legal Clinic, have expressed concerns that this process has been misused and that the council’s actions can be read as alienating to the Hamilton 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

I don’t think that I can properly do justice to this issue unless I give you some background on what an integrity commissioner is and what they’re supposed to do. According to every other site I checked, an integrity commissioner exists to investigate ethics violations on the part of elected officials and local boards. The LGBTQ advisory committee does not fall under either of these headings.

Of the websites I consulted, in addition to the ones cited above, only one made any mention of investigating citizen committees: Hamilton. The page with this definition was updated to include citizen committees the day after the complaint against Kroetsch was filed. To reiterate: integrity commissioners exist to hold elected officials accountable on behalf of citizens. In this case, it’s being used by elected officials to penalize citizens that critique them. Changing the definition on the website doesn’t change the job description.

But how can I be sure that the definition update is connected to this case? How do I know when it was updated? The short answer is that I am by no means the first person to write about this topic. Joey Coleman of The Public Record, an independent news site dedicated to providing informed coverage of Hamilton’s communities and civic affairs, has begun a four-part series on the ethics of the integrity commissioner’s report and investigation which I highly recommend reading.

The integrity commissioner’s report on Kroetsch is ethically questionable at best and just plain bullying at worst. I regret to inform you that it gets worse. On Sept. 30, Ward 14 Councillor Terry Whitehead tweeted a message that some community members interpreted as threatening, asking if the Hamilton Center for Civic Inclusion was open to an integrity commissioner investigation. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

“The integrity commissioner just investigated a complaint against a volunteer member of an advisory committee after a complaint by Council and on the same day that Council received the report, a Council member is already threatening to sic the Integrity Commissioner on a charity,” said Ryan McGreal, the editor for Raise the Hammer in his article on the subject.

There’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s briefly review the timeline. Here are the facts as I know them:

→ The LGBTQ advisory committee — a volunteer citizen organization — asked that the Pride flags not be flown at City Hall. This request was ignored.
→ Cameron Kroetsch, the chair of the committee, critiqued Hamilton City Council.
→ City Council requested that the integrity commissioner investigate Kroetsch for alleged violations which now appear to be false. In doing so, both Council and the integrity commissioner willfully misused and misinterpreted the mandate of an integrity commissioner.
→ The commissioner’s report reprimanded Kroetsch and advised that he step down as chair. This is not under the purview of either council or the integrity commissioner. In a statement, Kroetsch said that he felt the report was designed to silence his voice.
→ Following this report, a councillor tweeted a potentially threatening message at a charity that helps marginalized communities, suggesting that this same procedure could be used against them.

The integrity commissioner exists to hold politicians responsible for their actions. Instead, this system has been weaponized against volunteer advocates and charities, the very people it should be protecting. This plot wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of Black Mirror.

The integrity commissioner exists to hold politicians responsible for their actions. Instead, this system has been weaponized against volunteer advocates and charities, the very people it should be protecting.

If the folks down at City Hall truly want to build bridges and foster trust with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, then they need to walk the walk. Painting a rainbow crosswalk isn’t going to cut it. City council needs to be reminded that they’re supposed to work for the people, not against them.

Update: At the Oct. 14 meeting, Councillor Nrinder Nann made a motion for council to reconsider the reprimand against Kroetsch, which will be debated at Oct. 28's meeting.