We’re very excited to have launched The List–Ottawa’s Queerest Calendar. We’re even more excited that you’re part of the project! If you or someone you know is organizing an event, sports team, or any kind of community program by and for the queer community, this is the place to post it. 

You can access the List by clicking on “see full calendar” under the “Events Calendar” section on the main webpage. To submit an event, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the pink submission box labelled “Add an event to the list.”

TERMINOLOGY

PLEASE NOTE: The events on The List include those organized by other organizations, groups, and people (i.e. they aren’t all MAX events). We will do our best to only include events that are by or for members of our community, but we aren’t responsible for—and can’t make any guarantees about—non-MAX events. If a submission appears harmful to our community, we might follow up with the person who submitted it to get further clarification or simply not publish it.

We also recognize that language is ever-changing and imperfect. The language MAX uses is flexible and tailored to our audience which includes people with specific lived experiences and needs. We use a variety of terms and acronyms as convenient, though imperfect shorthand, including the word queer as an umbrella term for all who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Language and values change from person to person, and so you may find a range of terms being used in the community events. 

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

We reserve the right to decline or edit your event listing if it does not align with our community values.

All event postings must cater to the 2SLGBTQ+ population within Ottawa and the surrounding region—Renfrew, Lanark, Prescott, Russell, Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry, as well as Gatineau and the Outaouais. If you’re unsure about your region, send us an email. This could include having a notably queer organizer, venue, or audience. Virtual events whose organizers are beyond our region may still be published if they are accessible to the 2SLGBTQ+ community in our catchment.

The List will not feature partisan, discriminatory, or unreputable events. We will also decline events with messaging against the work MAX does, including but not limited to harm reduction, substance use health, and sexual health. We may reach out after receiving a submission to verify the legitimacy and safety of the event prior to publishing it. 

FILLING OUT FIELDS

• Event Title
• Event description – please include the following:
  • A brief description about what people can expect to happen at the event
  • Special guests: you may wish to include performers, catering companies, or any other additional parties involved in the event in the description. You can also link their social media or websites if you’d like.
  • Accessibility information: Is the venue wheelchair accessible? If the event is not on the ground floor, is there an elevator? Does the venue have all-inclusive gender washrooms? Will there be flashing lights? If there is food being offered, is it allergy-friendly? Will you be providing accessibility aids for those with hearing impairments? Is it a masked event, and if so, will you be providing masks? If there are loud noises, will you be providing ear plugs? 
  • Restrictions: is this event tailored for a specific community or age group? Are there age restrictions to your programming (e.g., 19+)?    
• Event date and time
  • Please fill out the the start date and time field and the end date and time field even if your event only lasts one day.
  • If you’re submitting a repeating event, let us know the details in the text box below the end date field. Please include how often the event repeats, if there are any known exceptions, and when the repeat ends.
• Event Cost
  • Free events: please let us know even if it’s free
  • PWYC or sliding scale events: please indicate whether ticket prices are pre-determined or if attendees can choose their price. Please also include the price range and any other information people should know prior to purchasing
  • Pay by donation: please indicate the recommended amount in this field and any additional information, like who the donations are going to
  • Ticket prices with additional fees: please include the full ticket price with tax and additional service charges. Please also provide a price breakdown
  • Different ticket options: please indicate the price range and what each ticket offers (e.g., services/opportunities/seating)
• Venue details
  • Please include the name of the venue, its address including the postal code and city
  • Please also include at least one form of contact information for the venue (i.e., social media, email, phone number, website)
  • If your event has multiple venues, please include information for each
  • Virtual Events: if your event is virtual or hybrid, please include the virtual platform you’ll be using, any information needed to access it (a link, password, website), and where more information can be found (email, website, etc.)
• Organizer details
  • Please include the organizer’s name and at least one point of contact (phone number, email, website, social media)
  • If there are multiple organizers and you would like them to be named on the posting, please write them into your event description above
• Event Website
  • If your event requires online registration or advanced ticket purchases, include the URL in this field
  • If there is no online registration or tickets but you’d like to include a link to your organization’s website or the event posting on a different platform, you may also include the URL in this field
• Feature image
  • If you wish to include a feature image on the website, please send it to our email [thelist@maxottawa.ca].
  • Please use png formatting and 400 x 400 dimensions.
  • If we feature your event on the Weekly Digest, we might contact you to acquire an image.
  • Note: we reserve the right to remove the image from the submission before publishing it if it violates our community guidelines.

We will be notified once your event is submitted and will do our best to publish it. We reserve the right to accept or decline the event and make changes to the posting based on our community guidelines. If you require any changes to be made to the event after its submission or publication or are concerned about changes made to your event listing, please contact us at thelist@maxottawa.ca.