Our Team

Who are we?

Our team at Dandelion Allyship is composed of four main members: Emily Dalton, Reya Hanspal, Lauren Wamboldt, and Nazanin Soghrati. All of us are attending Queen's University in the Queen's University Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) Program. We are proud to say that the Dandelion Allyship works in partnership with Maltby Centre and thank them graciously for their contributions to our success. 

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Why did we form the Dandelion Allyship?

The Dandelion Allyship - in partnership with the Maltby Centre in Kingston, Ontario - was born out of a necessity to educate older generations and the families of LGBTQ2S+ individuals about terms, expressions, and phrases important to this community. For most of Canadian history, LGBTQ2S+ groups have been marginalized by society, received lower standards of care, and their identities have been forcibly repressed. The ban on conversion therapy, an abusive medical and psychological practice that falsely claimed to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender expression or gender identity, only occurred as recently as June 2015 with the passing of Bill 77 in Ontario.

It is only in recent years that the media has portrayed the adverse mental health effects and psychological trauma that has affected the individuals in this community for generations. Our team at Dandelion Allyship stands as allies with this community and aims to provide a reference guide for the families of the LGBTQ2S+ youth community to promote better education and understanding, especially in a vulnerable time such as coming out and sharing one’s identity with others.

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What is our mission?

The Dandelion Allyship is driven by the mission that improved understanding and education means better mental health for members of marginalized communities and their families. We are aiming towards an increased understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ2S+ individuals identities to promote positive mental health for them and their community

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Where does our name come from?

Dandelions are a symbol of hope, love, and happiness - a bright yellow, but humble flower, they are the perennial reminders of optimism in daily life. They also serve as symbols of determination: they can grow happily and resiliently in just about any sunlight and soil conditions. Furthermore, dandelions change with time to mature into a different flower, similar to how many LGBTQ2S+ youth mature and grow into their true identities with time. Given the progress that has been made over the past few years to advance LGBTQ2S+ rights and quality of life, dandelions serve as an apt symbol for this community. We hope that the Dandelion Allyship can contribute to this continuing trend of inclusivity and serve as a supportive resource for this community.

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