Nature-based ∙ queer-led ∙ community rooted

where queer folk gather outdoors & connect with each other, themselves, and the living world.

#QCYXE

• @queercompass.yxe
• [email protected]

Treaty 6 Territory - Homeland of the Métis
_{Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada}

About

• Purpose
• People
• Contact
• GUIDE

Queer Compass YXE (QCYXE) is a nature‑based, queer‑led, and community‑run initiative in Saskatoon, SK. We create spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ people to connect, build belonging, and deepen their relationship with each other, themselves, land and water.From paddling and hiking to habitat restoration and stewardship, we invite everyone to show up as they are and help care for the places that sustain us. Our programs operate on a no‑cost, by‑donation model, shaped by community input through social media. Find out more here.#QCYXE

Upcoming Events

Queer Compass YXE Participant Registration

Please fill out the Participant Registration Form before joining us at your first Queer Compass YXE event!

• Participant Registration Form

Let us know what outdoor adventures, crafts, conservation projects, or other wild ideas you might have for QCYXE:

Check out the
QCYXE Guide

All you need to know before joining us outdoors...

• Guide

Past Events

Movie + BioBlitz
Sat August 30, 2025
7:00 - 11:00 PM

We’re gathering at Meewasin Park for a cozy late-summer evening under the stars...

QCYXE Hike & Fire
Friday, July 18th, 2025

Let’s move, connect, and unwind together - join Queer Compass YXE for a riverside hike and campfire.

QCYXE Berry Picking
Sunday, July 20th, 2025

Feeling fruity? Us too. Join Queer Compass YXE for a berry sweet afternoon of picking raspberries at Rhodes’ U-Pick just outside Saskatoon!

QCYXE Hike & Fire
Friday, August 1st, 2025

Let’s move, connect, and unwind together - join Queer Compass YXE for a riverside hike and campfire.

QCYXE Paddle
Sunday, August 18th, 2025

We’re heading out to explore the river, connect with queer community, and enjoy the natural beauty of the Meewasin Valley.

Contact

Howdy - we look forward to connecting!

• @queercompass.yxe
• [email protected]

QCYXE Guide

All you need to know before joining us outdoors...

• Code of Care

Queer Compass YXE Participant Registration

Please be sure to register before joining us out at Queer Compass YXE events!

• Registration Form

No One Left Out or Behind

Our goal is to make QCYXE as accessible as possible and give you the info you need to prepare for an event. All events operate on an optional donation basis and during event registration, you will have an opportunity to request support.

We're always learning how to better support the community. If there are additional accessibility measures you'd like to see, email us at [email protected]

Here's what you can expect from us:

By request, we provide support with:

Choose Your Own Adventure

The "choose your own adventure" approach invites you to participate in ways that feel right — there will always be multiple ways to engage for varying energy levels, and you are welcome to opt in or out of activities.

No Cost & By Donation Programs

We operate on an optional donation model to keep our programs accessible to all. At the time of registration, each event will have a suggested donation amount for your reference.

• Donate

Tips For Attendees:

Dress for the Weather, Not to ImpressWear clothes that make you feel good and keep you comfortable; think layers, rain gear, sun hats, or whatever the forecast calls for. No one’s here to judge your outfit. Function over fashion is totally valid.Footwear MattersClosed-toe shoes or boots are often best for uneven trails, wet grass, or surprise mud. Your flip-flops might be cute, but your ankles might not thank you later.Bring Water + SnacksStaying hydrated and nourished helps you feel grounded and present. We often have snacks to share, but it’s always great to bring something you love or need.Pack What Helps You Feel Good OutsideBug spray, sunscreen, your favourite fidget, meds, or a cozy hoodie — bring the things that help your body and brain feel supported. There's no shame in carrying what you need.Bathrooms Might Be RusticSome locations have outhouses, gender-neutral porta-potties, or no facilities at all. We’ll let you know in advance what to expect and you’re welcome to ask us anytime.Leave No Trace, Take Only MemoriesWe respect the land we gather on. That means packing out garbage, treading gently, staying on trail and taking lead from Indigenous teachings and caretakers of these spaces whenever possible.Move at Your Own PaceWhether you’re a slow stroller, a sit-on-the-log-and-watch-er, or an eager explorer, there’s no one “right” way to be in nature. You’re enough as you are.Reach Out With Questions or NeedsYou’re not a bother. If you’re unsure about anything (what to bring, where to meet, whether it’s a good fit) just message us. We’re here to support your experience.

• Contact

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the participant age range?QCYXE invites those ages 19 and older to join us.Do I have to pay to participate?No. We operate on an "optional donation" model to ensure QCYXE is accessible to everyone.Can I participate as an ally?Yes! We welcome allies we who share our values of reciprocity, respect, and compassion.What type of events does QCYXE run?QCYXE generally hosts hiking, paddling, planting, crafting, and hang out sessions designed to get you moving and connecting with peers and nature!Event themes/activities are planned based on community feedback via email and social media polls.Is QCYXE a registered non-profit?No. Currently QCYXE operates as a locally run and volunteer driven initiative - funded in part by the TakingItGlobal Sprout Ideas Fellowship grant.

Code of Care

By participating in QCYXE events, you agree to:

1. Respect All Identities and Experiences: Use people’s correct names and pronouns. Assume complexity. Everyone’s journey with gender, sexuality, culture, and community is unique. Don’t make assumptions about someone’s background, body, or beliefs.2. Consent Is Essential: Always ask before touching someone, taking their photo, or discussing sensitive topics. “No” and “not right now” are full sentences. Respect people’s boundaries at all times.3. Inclusive and Safer Space Practices:
This is a space where racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, fatphobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, white supremacy, and all forms of oppression are not welcome.4. Community Accountability: We’re not perfect. Mistakes happen. If someone causes harm, we aim to address it with compassion, transparency, and care. If you are called in, we invite you to listen, reflect, and take responsibility. Repeated or intentional harm will result in being asked to leave.5. Confidentiality and Trust: What is shared in the space stays in the space. Don’t out others or share their stories without explicit consent. Respect emotional disclosures; people are trusting the group when they speak vulnerably.6. Take Care of Yourself and Others: Participate at your own pace. Step in and step back as you need. If you need a break, take one; we support folks listening to their bodies and boundaries. Check in on each other and ask for support if you need it.7. Substance-Free Commitment:
Unless otherwise specified, our events are substance-free to support accessibility.8. Land, Place, and Relationality:
We acknowledge that we gather on Indigenous lands and strive to act in ways that support justice and right relationship with the land and Indigenous people who have cared for this land since time immemorial. We welcome conversations about how Queer Compass can contribute to Indigenizing so-called Canada.9. Reporting & Support: If you experience or witness harm, or if something doesn’t feel right, please reach out to a Queer Compass organizer. We’ll listen and do our best to support a just and caring response.

Purpose

Who We Are:

Volun-queers in Nature

A community for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals looking to connect with nature and fellow queers. Our local volunteer team is made up of outdoor educators, biologists, students, librarians, facilitators, guides, and peers who are passionate about creating spaces for queer people to connect outdoors.

• Meet the team

What We Do:

No Cost Outdoor Experiences

We lead outdoor experiences—like hikes, paddles, and skill-building workshops—designed specifically for queer and gender-diverse people. Our events blend nature connection, personal growth, community care, conservation, and environmental learning.

• Upcoming events

Why We Do It:

Connection & Conservation

Queer people deserve to feel safe, seen, and joyful in nature. We believe the outdoors should be for everyone, and that reconnecting with land and community is both good for our health and Mother Earth's health. In a world that often tells us we don’t belong, Queer Compass is a reminder: we do—and together we can be a force for nature.

Sprout Ideas Fellowship

QCYXE has been made possible by the educational and financial support of the Sprout Ideas Fellowship with TakingItGlobal.Find out more about the fellowship and other social impact initiatives.

• Find out more

QCYXE People

Our local volunteer team is made up of outdoor educators, biologists, students, librarians, facilitators, guides, and peers who are passionate about creating spaces for queer people to connect outdoors. Check out their stories below:

Meg Schmieder
_{pronouns: they/she}

I started QCYXE because I believe that when Mother Nature is healthy, we're healthy.

• Bio

Elise
_{pronouns: she/her}

Wrangling books & cows out on the open prairies

• Bio

Jodi Hartung
_{pronouns: any}

Educator, facilitator, land lover, joyfully building community.

• Bio

• back

Elise
_{pronouns: she/her}

• LINKEDIN

I've lived in Treaty 6 territory all my life, and I love the prairies more than anywhere else. I was raised on a farm and still help out at home whenever I can - I'm always looking for an excuse to get out of the city and into the pastures.For career day in second grade, I dressed up as a librarian. I followed through on that goal and pursued a Master of Library and Information Studies. As a public librarian my role is to support the community, whether that's through organizing free programs and activities for all ages, sharing community resources, helping with research, or offering reading recommendations.We desperately need societal, governmental, and industrial level change in our world right now - however, I'm still passionate about the small changes we can make to better our lives and the lives of those around us. Small acts of feminism, sustainability, inclusion, and community building might not save the planet on their own, but groups like Queer Compass YXE will make a difference in the lives of everyone who joins us.

• back

Meg Schmieder
_{pronouns: they/them, she/her}

• LINKEDIN

I grew up on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and moved to a small village in Saskatchewan during my teens. My grandmothers taught me about strength and compassion; one a farmer and one a refugee. I am French and speak fluently, and am learning about my Hungarian heritage. The prairies are where I have always felt most at home and am grateful to live on the traditional land of the Cree, Metis, Nakota, Dakota, Lakota, and many other Indigenous people.After high school, I headed to Ottawa, Ontario to study international environmental and health policy. Post-graduation, I spent five years in Toronto working at a local food bank and later with an international disaster relief agency. That time taught me about community engagement, agency, solidarity, systemic poverty, and human rights—and revealed how many of our challenges are rooted in racial capitalism and white supremacy. I found the most peace when we debriefed in the garden or reflected on how community members showed up for each other during crisis.In 2022, I felt called to return home to Saskatchewan—this time to Saskatoon, on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis—to support my younger sibling as they began their studies. After settling in, I began training as an outdoor educator and started facilitating a free conservation program for youth ages 15–18. I'm a certified hiking and paddling field leader through the Outdoor Council of Canada.Two years in, I have no doubt that getting people outside is good for both our health and the health of the ecosystems we rely on. Hiking, swimming, watching the sunset—we all know how good it is for our body and mind. What's best is when people connect with nature and feel a part of nature, they’re more likely to protect it. We care for what we love.Witnessing environmental degradation, alongside the erosion of 2SLGBTQ+ rights in so-called North America, ways heavy on my mind. Queer Compass is my response—a blend of my love for the land and my commitment to support my community.

• back

Jodi Hartung
_{pronouns: any}

• LINKEDIN

Through many different places and spaces in my life, one truth has remained constant: being outdoors is healing. I believe we are most whole when we’re in relationship. That includes relationship with each other, with ourselves, and with the living world around us. Nature has always been a place of grounding for me, and I’m passionate about helping others experience that same sense of calm and connection.For the past five years, I’ve been proud to call misâskwatôminihk (Saskatoon) home. Here, I continue to deepen my relationships with both the land and the community. As a queer person, I know how vital it is to have spaces that feel not only safe, but expansive. Where we can show up fully as ourselves and feel rooted in something bigger.I have a Bachelor of Education and have worked both professionally and informally in outdoor education. I’m a certified Hiking Field Leader through the Outdoor Council of Canada and a certified Project WILD Facilitator through the Canadian Wildlife Federation. I also bring training in mental health first aid and safeTALK suicide alertness. I’ve spent over a decade working in the non-profit sector as a community builder, facilitator, and advocate.I believe in the power of queer joy, community care, and love of the land. That’s why I am so excited to be a part of Queer Compass!

Resources

Here are some key tips and resources to dive into before you join a Queer Compass YXE event:

• Adventure Smart

• Native Land Digital

• Leave No Trace

• You Are Made of Medicine

• Violence on the Land, Violence on Our Bodies

Queer Compass YXE Bookshelf

A list of books that inspired the creation and inform the values of QCYXE.

All of the books are available to borrow from the Saskatoon Public Library by clicking on the covers, or you can support local independent bookstores in Saskatoon like Turning the Tide.

Timeline of 2SLGBTQ+ Community Organizations in Saskatchewan

1971 – Gens Hellquist and Dan Nahlbach placed an ad in a Vancouver alternative newspaper that simply said “Saskatoon Gay Liberation, PO Box 3043, Saskatoon, SK.” As a result from those who got in touch, the activist groups Saskatoon Gay Action and the Gay Students Alliance (at the U of S) were formed.1972 – The Zodiac Friendship Society was formed as a non-profit and oversaw the Gemini Club, which hosted social events and fundraisers for Saskatoon Gay Action.1972 - The Atropos Friendship Society was founded in Regina, and ran a social club called the Odyssey. In 1977 the Atropos Friendship Society was renamed to the Gay Community of Regina, and then to the Gay and Lesbian Community of Regina. It is the longest currently running gay community organization in Canada.1975 - Saskatoon Gay Action and the Zodiac Friendship Society combined to create the Gay Community Centre of Saskatoon.1975 - The Gay Academic Union was established at the University of Saskatchewan.1978 - The Saskatchewan Gay Coalition was founded for outreach to rural Saskatchewan communities.1978 – A gay community centre was established in Prince Albert, with help from the Saskatchewan Gay Coalition.1979 – The Gay Native Group is listed in Gay Saskatchewan, a newsletter for the Saskatchewan Gay Coalition.Late 1970s – Saskatchewan Gay Coalition had over 1400 contacts in 127 Saskatchewan towns, every province, and across 20 states. SGC organized gay social groups in Moose Jaw, Meadow Lake, Melfort-Tisdale area, Kindersley-Eston-Rosetown area.1980 - Gens Hellquist formed the Gay and Lesbian Support Services, which provided counseling, a phone line, and self-help groups.1982 - The Gays and Lesbians at the University of Saskatchewan replaced the Gay Academic Union.1982 - The Lesbian Association of
Southern Saskatchewan was founded.1984 - Lavender Social Club was formed as a lesbian group in Regina.1986 – AIDS Saskatoon and AIDS Regina are formed as part of the Canadian AIDS Society. AIDS Saskatoon changed its name to Prairie Harm Reduction in 2020.1991 - Gens Hellquist and Dr. Sheri McConnell formed the Gay and Lesbian Health Services. The organization was renamed a few times, to The Avenue Community Centre in 2005 and then OUTSaskatoon in 2015.1996 – Students formed a club called Gays, Bisexuals and Lesbians of the University of Regina (GBLUR) under the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU), which was renamed the UR Pride Centre for Sexuality & Gender Diversity in 2010.1996 - Dr. James McNinch formed the Prairie Pride Chorus in Regina.1997 - University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) opened the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Centre, which was changed to USSU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally (LGBTA) Centre in 2002 and finally the USSU Pride Centre in 2007.2011 - TransSask Support Services was founded.2018 - The Queer Advocacy & Education Group split off from Out Saskatoon Coffee Row, a group of seniors who meet regularly and hold potlucks. Queer Advocacy & Education was later renamed the Queer Seniors of Saskatchewan.2020 - GalPalsYXE hosted their first event.2022 - SaskQueer Entrepreneurs & Professionals was formed.2022 - The 2 Spirit Alliance of Saskatchewan started as a collective, and was incorporated as a not-for-profit in early 2023.2023 - Dyke Hikes YQR hosts their first hike in Regina.2024 - Indigenous Teachers for Two-Spirit Youth was formed.2024 - Black and African Queer Alliance YXE began organizing and hosting events.2024 – Gender Queer Coffee Club was created as a social club for trans, non-binary, and all gender diverse individuals in Saskatoon.2024 – The first official Sapphic Saturdays event was held in Saskatoon, after a couple years of queer house parties and unofficial takeovers of local bars.2025 – Lost Boys of SK, a social support group for masc-of-centre people (trans men, transmasc non-binary, two-spirit, and intersex folks), hosted their first event in Saskatoon2025 - FSlur Events hosted their first event.2025 – Queer Compass YXE, a nature-based queer social and skill-building group, hosts their first event in Saskatoon.

Did we get a date wrong? Miss an organization? Mix something up? Please let us know!

Zodiac Friendship Society Playlist

The Zodiac Friendship Society hosted fundraiser dances at the Gemini Club in Saskatoon in the early 1970s. Thanks to the Neil Richards Collection of Sexual and Gender Diversity at the University of Saskatchewan Library and Archives, we have a list of the popular songs that were played at the dances - think 70s disco, soul, rock, and a dash of showtunes. Click the link here to view the full 14 pages of songs and here to learn more about the Neil Richards Collection.

Kinship Camp Mutual Aid Resources

On February 21 2026 we hosted our first Kinship Camp, partnered with 7th Generation Rising Collective. We started with a morning hike, shared a delicious lunch, and explored the foundations of mutual aid.Below are some resources we shared at the Kinship Camp:

Mutual Aid Groups

Learning More About Mutual Aid

Recommended Reading

> Goodreads Mutual Aid Shelf <

Other Community Orgs Offering Aid and/or Resources

The majority of these organizations are traditional charities or non-profits, but they are examples of areas of need where we could start building mutual aid projects.