Fruit

“It is okay to be gay in Montreal.”

So states Héctor Gómez, founder of an organization named “Au delà de l´arc-en-ciel” (ADA) – “Beyond the Rainbow” in English; “Más allá del arco iris” in his native Spanish – which seeks to support LGBT immigrants to Canada. Beyond the Rainbow has cultivated relationships with many volunteers and non-profit agencies that lend assistance in the form of translation, links to gay-friendly social services and general community resources, and offering weekly meet-and-greet gatherings for newcomers to the country – especially those for whom acceptance might be harder to find than for others, because they are gay or transgender.

Héctor Fabio Duque Gómez, 50, knows from personal experience how it feels to arrive in Canada without connections or the ability to speak either French or English; he did so himself 11 years ago – on August 31, 2000, to be exact. Immigrating alone, and without knowing the language, would be difficult for anyone, but add in the fact of being homosexual or transgender and facing homophobia on many fronts, and the transition is all the more daunting.

By Heidi Mann, Associate Editor

Rev. Heidi Mann serves as Associate Editor, copy-editor, "Someone You MUST Know" feature author, and all around "God send" for 10,000 Couples. She is also a freelancer and owns Final Touch Proofreading and Editing, LLC. Heidi has been something of a wordsmith in various contexts throughout her life, from junior high, when she first started writing poetry; through high school, college, and graduate school, where writing skills came in very handy; and on through 13+ years of ministry as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a role in which she wrote regularly for sermons, newsletters, and correspondence. Heidi lives in the tiny and delightful town of Hendrum, Minn., with her husband, 2 young sons, and 4 mischievous cats.

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