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Syrus Marcus Ware
Scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educatorHe/him
Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware is a Vanier Scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator. Syrus is an Assistant Professor at the School of the Arts, McMaster University. Using drawing, installation, theatre/ performance, Syrus works with social justice frameworks and Black activist culture. His work was part of the inaugural Toronto Biennial of Art in both 2019 and 2022 in conjunction with the Image Centre (Antarctica and Ancestors, Do You Read Us? (Dispatches from the Future and MBL:Freedom)), as well as for the Bentway’s Safety in Public Spaces Initiative in 2020 (Radical Love).
Syrus' curatorial projects include Nuit Blanche 2024, Zine Hall (McMaster University, 2023); That’s So Gay (Gladstone Hotel, 2016-2019), Re:Purpose (Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2014), The Church Street Mural Project (Church-Wellesley Village, 2013) and The Cycle, a two-year disability arts performance initiative of the National Arts Centre (2015-17). Syrus is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter- Canada and the Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism. He is a board member of the Teagan and Sara Foundation. Syrus is a past co-curator of Blackness Yes!/Blockorama and creator of the Wildseed Black Arts Fellowship. Syrus holds a doctorate from York University in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. He is the co-editor of the best-selling Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada (URP, 2020) and Marvellous Grounds: Queen of Colour Formations (BTL, 2018) and Queering Urban Justice (UTP, 2018). Syrus has authored several children’s books including Abolition Is Love (Triangle Square Press, 2023).
Neo
Director of TransAkcijaThey/them
neo is trans, non-binary and lesbian. They are a strategic communications expert with background in journalism and gender studies. Active in feminist and queer movements since 2012, they are currently the director of the Transfeminist Initiative TransAkcija, where they lead advocacy and educational programs. Their work is rooted in decentralized organizing, decolonized knowledge, transformative justice in practice, and a deep commitment to reimagining language as means of dismantling systems of oppression.
Diana Avdić
Executive Coordinator at kolekTIRVShe/her
Diana Avdić is the Executive Coordinator of kolekTIRV, a pioneering organization supporting the transgender community in Croatia. A former medical student, Diana came to understand her transgender identity in her early teens and has since navigated a deeply personal journey shaped by resilience, care, and the pursuit of authenticity.
During her studies in Zagreb, she faced a lack of peer support, which led her to prioritize her mental health and realign her path toward community work. Since 2012, she has helped shape kolekTIRV - from its beginnings in peer support to its broader work in advocacy, healthcare access, and visibility.
Diana’s work is grounded in the belief that activism must also make space for rest, care, and long-term sustainability. She leads initiatives that not only support transgender individuals and their families, but also nurture collective resilience and prevent burnout. Her approach emphasizes connection, empowerment, and creating spaces where trans people can both heal and thrive.
Oliver Vásquez
Activist and creatorThey/she
Oliver is an advocate for affirming spaces for marginalized communities in the Dominican Republic. They are the creator of Do’Pájaro, a queer educational project, and CuirFest, a festival dedicated to cultivating spaces of affirmation. Oliver has collaborated with the Los Angeles LGBT Center and has facilitated workshops on navigating identity through a decolonial lens.