ABOUT CHARLIE MURPHY AND THE QUAD!
IN CONVERSATION WITH CHARLIE MURPHY
Your name:
Charlie Murphy
Your pronouns:
he/him/they/them
Do you identify as:
2SLGBTQIA
Do you live with a Seen or hidden disability?
Not that I’ve been diagnosed with though I do sometimes see and read numbers backwards so I’ve been told that is a sign of dyslexia.
How many hats do you wear?
Currently several! I am: the Executive Director of Quadrangle NL, a peer support facilitator for the local Pflag St John’s chapter, the Newfoundland and Labrador rep for The Enchante Network, the Newfoundland and Labrador regional support for the Community-Based Research Centre, theRAB member of Reaching Home Indigenous NL and one of the founders of Raise Up Fundraising. I’ve also been known to help design promo materials (posters, logos, etc) for organizations and not-for-profits when I’m able.
What is your primary passion/job?
I’m the Executive Director of Quadrangle NL, and very much have a passion for art and community.
Tell us about the Quad.
Quadrangle NL is all about building community through creating a community centre for 2SLGBTQAI+ individuals and organizations, creating space that is a resource for building community resilience and connection, and that provides supports for existing and future initiatives of our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Ours is a vision of building sustainable community connections through cooperative communal space as a provincial charity with the sole mandate to serve our community.
Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the only provinces still without a 2SLGBTQIA+ centre, or HUB for the community. We are hoping to change that. As a co-founder of Quadrangle NL I’ve been talking with others about this dream since 2012. It wasn’t until May 2015 that we were incorporated as a not-for-profit and then in December 2019 we officially became a registered charity. It’s been a team effort with people giving their time and energy when they could. It is inspiring to see what community can build when we rise together to meet the challenges.
The Quad is hoping to bring all our amazing local 2SLGBTQIA+ volunteer organizations together to share space and resources. Just think for a moment about walking into a space and all the resources you might need or want are there in different forms. We are also not just wanting to have a space in St. John’s, that is just the start of a much bigger dream. We plan to follow other province wide organizations models like the Status of Women Centres and Violence Prevention groups. We are working on being a province-wide organization. Our regional seats on our board and community partners support our efforts in this goal.
Another part of the Quadrangle we’ve instilled is the importance of Accessibility. We do our best to make sure our events and resources are accessible to all. That means hosting events at accessible locations, having ASL, Closed Captioning, and Alt text to our posts. We continue to improve in other ways around accessibility like making changes to our website. Currently we’re working on adding an app that will allow the user to make edits and changes to the Quad site based on their personal needs.
We see ourselves as building an open and welcoming space. We feel we do this by reviewing our events, board, policies and partnerships from an intersectional and diverse approach. We try to make sure there are different voices present throughout our work. After all, we are trying to build a home, not a house for the whole community.
It is clearly your passion. What or who inspires you and what helps you to keep going.
Oh yes, I would say this is one of my passions, it borders on the line of obsession. Since 2012, before Quadrangle NL was even known by this name ,it’s been something others and myself have been giving energy to when we could. I'd say the community inspires me. They are the ones that keep me personally working towards our goals. Seeing community supporting and voicing the need of an organization like ours feeds my personal drive. Knowing others see our efforts and passion fuels mine. I’d be remiss if I didn't say that those that still think it's ok to harass or insult the community also inspire me. I still remember the comments from a few people during an open-line style radio program. It was the second year myself and the others at Pflag St. John’s Chapter took part in the St John’s Holiday Parade. We held our banner and enjoyed the parade like everyone else. However, the following day several people voiced that we ( the 2slgbtqia+) didn’t belong in the parade. That happened in 2011, so during an interview that mentioned these comments I voiced that “Because of these comments Pflag would be in the annual community parade from that day on”. Besides missing last year due to covid-19 cancelation we haven't missed one yet. You might think these types of comments don’t happen anymore but our Quadrangle 2021 needs assessment survey would show otherwise. People go out of their way to cause harm, which is why these comments not only inspire me to keep going but also helps Quadrangle prove the need for dedicated space and services.
What are some of your greatest challenges?
Funding and space are our biggest challenges. We’ve been able to get funding through the Government of Canada’s LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund towards our Quadrangle Capacity and NL Network Project. This funding ends March 31th, 2022. We need to secure multi-year funding though funding to build capacity is great without continued support we can’t become stable.
A dedicated space is another, the 2SLGBTQIA+ have been doing work for decades without having OUR space. During the history of Newfoundland and Labrador the community has had to make secret groups just to take up space because it wasn't given or wasn’t safe to be visible. This is still happening in parts of the province where people can’t freely come together for fear of what it could mean for their safety. A space for the community is more than just a place to come together or provide a clear gap in services. It’s about being seen in full citizenship and invested in from a societal level. This is why we felt the need to reach out to our provincial government and find ways to work together. To make real long-lasting change it needs to come from all levels.
How can people who don’t live in St. John’s connect with you?
People can connect with us during any of our events as we are currently mainly doing online work. Even when we start doing more in-person events we will be keeping an online component of it. Anyone can join our Sunday bi-weekly High Tea events to connect with us in a more relaxed setting. We are always wanting to hear from our community at any time so please feel free to reach out to me at executivedirector@thequadnl.com . I might not be able to get back to you right away, but I will try my best.
What is your impossible dream?
I’d like to think no dream is impossible, but I've been told a few times over the last several years that something like Quadrangle NL here in the province was a nice but impossible dream. I'm hoping one day to wake up from that so-called impossible dream into it’s reality. Then I’ll keep dreaming of growing it bigger than even what the community or myself could have dreamt.
What does process mean to you?
Process for me is making a plan, then making changes to the plan when you need to pivot to reach your goals. As there is no set way to do something you really need to figure out what ways to reach your targets work for you.
What do you hope will change during and after the pandemic in terms of your practice and connections?
I plan to take what I’ve learned during the pandemic around making the spaces I’m in more accessible and allowing myself to take downtime for when I just don’t have the extra energy to give. I’ve found the pandemic was a great time to reflect on how I connect with others and regulate how much of myself I give away.
What aspects of pivoting or technology do you plan to keep and incorporate into your practice?
Zoom or other programs that allow anyone from anywhere to be part of what I’m part of. Trying to keep the idea of “ we all don’t need to be in the same room to work together”
What does it mean to you to be part of this community and ' or tell us about a time you felt held/ supported by your fellow artists?
Being part of the community has meant differently to me at different times of my life. When I was younger it meant feeling like I wasn't the only one, that there were others who possibly went through the same things as myself. It allowed me to connect and come more to terms with who I am. As I got older and learned more about myself and the history around the community my connection has changed. I still see the community as a place of understanding and support but now I see myself as someone being privileged to support others. The community has empowered me in so many ways I don’t think I could count.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Yea, if you want to make a difference or be part of change join an organization you feel shares your values. If you don’t see any that do, or you see a clear gap in support then maybe it’s time it was here and you should start it. If you have an idea and the drive you can make it happen.
Charlie Murphy
Your pronouns:
he/him/they/them
Do you identify as:
2SLGBTQIA
Do you live with a Seen or hidden disability?
Not that I’ve been diagnosed with though I do sometimes see and read numbers backwards so I’ve been told that is a sign of dyslexia.
How many hats do you wear?
Currently several! I am: the Executive Director of Quadrangle NL, a peer support facilitator for the local Pflag St John’s chapter, the Newfoundland and Labrador rep for The Enchante Network, the Newfoundland and Labrador regional support for the Community-Based Research Centre, theRAB member of Reaching Home Indigenous NL and one of the founders of Raise Up Fundraising. I’ve also been known to help design promo materials (posters, logos, etc) for organizations and not-for-profits when I’m able.
What is your primary passion/job?
I’m the Executive Director of Quadrangle NL, and very much have a passion for art and community.
Tell us about the Quad.
Quadrangle NL is all about building community through creating a community centre for 2SLGBTQAI+ individuals and organizations, creating space that is a resource for building community resilience and connection, and that provides supports for existing and future initiatives of our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Ours is a vision of building sustainable community connections through cooperative communal space as a provincial charity with the sole mandate to serve our community.
Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the only provinces still without a 2SLGBTQIA+ centre, or HUB for the community. We are hoping to change that. As a co-founder of Quadrangle NL I’ve been talking with others about this dream since 2012. It wasn’t until May 2015 that we were incorporated as a not-for-profit and then in December 2019 we officially became a registered charity. It’s been a team effort with people giving their time and energy when they could. It is inspiring to see what community can build when we rise together to meet the challenges.
The Quad is hoping to bring all our amazing local 2SLGBTQIA+ volunteer organizations together to share space and resources. Just think for a moment about walking into a space and all the resources you might need or want are there in different forms. We are also not just wanting to have a space in St. John’s, that is just the start of a much bigger dream. We plan to follow other province wide organizations models like the Status of Women Centres and Violence Prevention groups. We are working on being a province-wide organization. Our regional seats on our board and community partners support our efforts in this goal.
Another part of the Quadrangle we’ve instilled is the importance of Accessibility. We do our best to make sure our events and resources are accessible to all. That means hosting events at accessible locations, having ASL, Closed Captioning, and Alt text to our posts. We continue to improve in other ways around accessibility like making changes to our website. Currently we’re working on adding an app that will allow the user to make edits and changes to the Quad site based on their personal needs.
We see ourselves as building an open and welcoming space. We feel we do this by reviewing our events, board, policies and partnerships from an intersectional and diverse approach. We try to make sure there are different voices present throughout our work. After all, we are trying to build a home, not a house for the whole community.
It is clearly your passion. What or who inspires you and what helps you to keep going.
Oh yes, I would say this is one of my passions, it borders on the line of obsession. Since 2012, before Quadrangle NL was even known by this name ,it’s been something others and myself have been giving energy to when we could. I'd say the community inspires me. They are the ones that keep me personally working towards our goals. Seeing community supporting and voicing the need of an organization like ours feeds my personal drive. Knowing others see our efforts and passion fuels mine. I’d be remiss if I didn't say that those that still think it's ok to harass or insult the community also inspire me. I still remember the comments from a few people during an open-line style radio program. It was the second year myself and the others at Pflag St. John’s Chapter took part in the St John’s Holiday Parade. We held our banner and enjoyed the parade like everyone else. However, the following day several people voiced that we ( the 2slgbtqia+) didn’t belong in the parade. That happened in 2011, so during an interview that mentioned these comments I voiced that “Because of these comments Pflag would be in the annual community parade from that day on”. Besides missing last year due to covid-19 cancelation we haven't missed one yet. You might think these types of comments don’t happen anymore but our Quadrangle 2021 needs assessment survey would show otherwise. People go out of their way to cause harm, which is why these comments not only inspire me to keep going but also helps Quadrangle prove the need for dedicated space and services.
What are some of your greatest challenges?
Funding and space are our biggest challenges. We’ve been able to get funding through the Government of Canada’s LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund towards our Quadrangle Capacity and NL Network Project. This funding ends March 31th, 2022. We need to secure multi-year funding though funding to build capacity is great without continued support we can’t become stable.
A dedicated space is another, the 2SLGBTQIA+ have been doing work for decades without having OUR space. During the history of Newfoundland and Labrador the community has had to make secret groups just to take up space because it wasn't given or wasn’t safe to be visible. This is still happening in parts of the province where people can’t freely come together for fear of what it could mean for their safety. A space for the community is more than just a place to come together or provide a clear gap in services. It’s about being seen in full citizenship and invested in from a societal level. This is why we felt the need to reach out to our provincial government and find ways to work together. To make real long-lasting change it needs to come from all levels.
How can people who don’t live in St. John’s connect with you?
People can connect with us during any of our events as we are currently mainly doing online work. Even when we start doing more in-person events we will be keeping an online component of it. Anyone can join our Sunday bi-weekly High Tea events to connect with us in a more relaxed setting. We are always wanting to hear from our community at any time so please feel free to reach out to me at executivedirector@thequadnl.com . I might not be able to get back to you right away, but I will try my best.
What is your impossible dream?
I’d like to think no dream is impossible, but I've been told a few times over the last several years that something like Quadrangle NL here in the province was a nice but impossible dream. I'm hoping one day to wake up from that so-called impossible dream into it’s reality. Then I’ll keep dreaming of growing it bigger than even what the community or myself could have dreamt.
What does process mean to you?
Process for me is making a plan, then making changes to the plan when you need to pivot to reach your goals. As there is no set way to do something you really need to figure out what ways to reach your targets work for you.
What do you hope will change during and after the pandemic in terms of your practice and connections?
I plan to take what I’ve learned during the pandemic around making the spaces I’m in more accessible and allowing myself to take downtime for when I just don’t have the extra energy to give. I’ve found the pandemic was a great time to reflect on how I connect with others and regulate how much of myself I give away.
What aspects of pivoting or technology do you plan to keep and incorporate into your practice?
Zoom or other programs that allow anyone from anywhere to be part of what I’m part of. Trying to keep the idea of “ we all don’t need to be in the same room to work together”
What does it mean to you to be part of this community and ' or tell us about a time you felt held/ supported by your fellow artists?
Being part of the community has meant differently to me at different times of my life. When I was younger it meant feeling like I wasn't the only one, that there were others who possibly went through the same things as myself. It allowed me to connect and come more to terms with who I am. As I got older and learned more about myself and the history around the community my connection has changed. I still see the community as a place of understanding and support but now I see myself as someone being privileged to support others. The community has empowered me in so many ways I don’t think I could count.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Yea, if you want to make a difference or be part of change join an organization you feel shares your values. If you don’t see any that do, or you see a clear gap in support then maybe it’s time it was here and you should start it. If you have an idea and the drive you can make it happen.
The Thriving Together initiative has been made possible through support from the Canada Council for the Arts.
