All language subtitles for Someone.Like.Me.2021.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-Kitsune_track3_[eng]

Oh, what type of
relationship would I have

with a newcomer?

Oh, that's
a good question.

Seems like-- I would
like to be their friend.

I would like to feel
trusted by them.

I haven't even
tried to imagine

what they might look like or
what-- where on the spectrum

of LGBTQ they might be.

You know, I don't know whether
this is gonna be someone

who's an introvert
or an extrovert

or wants to
be friends with us.

Like they could hate all of
us in the group, you know?

Be like, "Thanks
for helping me out.

"Personally don't
like any of you."

And that's totally fine,
'cause they're a human being.

I mean, it's a hell
of an opportunity.

Like what an interesting
thing to do.

So it was kind of a
no brainer for me.

Go around, raping.

I'm just reading
somebody's email.

Asking for help,
of course.

When they ask for help,
they usually describe

some of their experience.

She's had her phone searched
and she's been threat--

Oh, it's a "he"-- have been
threatened with anal tests

and all that kind of stuff.

So, yeah...

Other members of the
LGBT community in other

parts of the world are
experiencing persecution

and in some countries
there's still the death

penalty and imprisonment.

Canada is the only country in
the world that has legislation

for a refugee program
that specifically reaches

out to LGBT people, globally.

So, however many of these
things you have in your hand,

you're going to tell one
thing about yourself.

When you've done
that, you can eat it!

So, I spent many years
as a Roman Catholic nun,

and my last place of work was
in Chile and South America

during the dictatorship
of Pinochet.

And so, my partner and
I came back to Canada,

having experienced
ourselves a little bit,

a little bit of what it's like
to be in the closet in a country

where it's illegal
to be who we are.

Next courageous soul.

I went to a private
Roman Catholic school when

I lived in Boston and you have
extreme nun energy, so...

Oh no!

I haven't been one of
them for over 30 years.

You never lose it!

I'll talk to you later!

The first group meeting
is quite important

because each group is new,
each group is different,

and it's interesting to see
different people's perspectives

and who's quiet and
who's not quiet.

So this is a private
sponsorship group,

and what you're doing is
you're taking on a commitment

from now to the day
the person arrives

and from the day the person
arrives for 12 months.

Would you like to say
a few more words?

Oh, wow.

Well, I arrived here as a
refugee myself three years ago,

so it's a lived
experience for me.

And I always feel like
you left someone behind.

It's not easy to form one
circle to support one case.

So thank you
for this, really.

One of the things that I want
to add is that the people that

we provide the support
to, that's what we do.

We provide them support.

One of the things that
we're not doing is we're

not rescuing,
we're not saving.

We're walking in
solidarity with them.

I joined Rainbow Refugee
two weeks after

Donald Trump was elected.

And I really just felt like I
had to get out of the basement

and away from the computer
and do something real.

And this
is certainly real!

So I've been working
with them ever since.

Yeah, it's just such an
interesting and emotional and...

...a rewarding thing.

So, yeah,
happy to be here.

First impressions of my
circle members is great.

All of us were brought in
from totally different areas

with totally different
backgrounds,

and very few of us
were connected to one

another before this.

And so I think what we have
here is the circle of people

who are so different that I
find it really fascinating.

My day job is as an immigration
and refugee lawyer.

My specialty is really
in the refugee world.

And so this week I'm
representing a new family

from Central America, and
the family's of 10 people,

and they all showed up
in this little office.

Then they all spoke
Spanish and I've taken

Spanish for
nine months.

It was atrocious.

I went in very confident
and about a sentence

later I was like, "Mmm."

And then did
Google Translate.

Kate speaking.

My bachelor profile would be
like, "Sexy job, no money."

That would be my
bachelor profile.

Like the good person who
just wasn't good enough.

Unless then the bachelor, or
the bachelorette is Emily,

who is like,
"Oh, that's fantastic."

It's like the more
queer and weird you are,

the more I like it.

Then it works.

Emily's sister-in-law and I
went to law school together.

And so that's
how we first met.

Never been the same since.

I ask Emily to
marry me every day.

Yeah.

She says she doesn't
want to get married.

Yeah. But if I did
want to get married,

you would be the person.

I'll keep asking then.
Okay.

Emily and I,
at this point,

have been together about
two and a half years.

She's my best friend and
she's the joy in my life.

She makes me laugh and I always
cry because I love her so much.

And yeah, she's amazing.

Problem is with me, so I made
sure I do simple tonight.

I cook very
complicated things.

So when I'm in school,
I don't cook so much.

When I'm out,
I cook all day.

Yeah.

I love to cook.

I'm in school, I'm in
second year medicine,

and I'm going back
to school on Monday.

I don't think the group
knows that much about me.

And likewise, I mean, I don't
know if any of us really

know much about anybody.

So I'm interested to see what
that looks like moving forward.

You know, you hear one story of
what millions of queer people

across the world go through.

And, as a queer person, I think
that I have a responsibility

to do whatever I can.

Well, I'm Michael.

I'm your mentor.

For better or worse.

That does not mean I know
everything, but I know who to

ask when
I don't know something.

So, basically, what we want
to get through today is

when you
start to fundraise.

Just some
round numbers here.

You're going to need about
$20,000 for an individual.

One of the challenges that
we've had with the blended

visa office, which is what you
guys are doing, they're great

because they're fast and they're
vulnerable people, but the

fundraising has to happen very,
very quickly because once

you match, it's like one to
two months, one to two months

that they're going to be here
and that's quick, right?

Mm-hmm.

It's an interesting
mix of people.

On the one hand, you've
got Kay, who's got a lot

of experience, specializes
in LGBTQ asylum claims.

They are well aware
of the stories and the,

you know, the issues.

Most of the rest of the
circle is fairly new to this.

I think a lot of people come
into it thinking it's going to

be like some sort of big
party and they're going to do

some fundraising, they'll
greet the person at the

airport and that'll be it.

And they don't realize
these people are escaping

really horrific scenes
and you don't just flip

a switch because you've
arrived in North America.

But as the conversation starts,
it usually gets pretty real.

You really start to think about
what you're offering to one

and leaving the others to.

Yeah, so it'll be interesting
to see how they deal with it.

It is a cool inaugural stepping
stone to be starting the circle

during Pride, and hopefully when
we go one year full circle,

the newcomer will be able to
celebrate Pride for

the first time.

And I think that forming a

relationship with the newcomer
would be really exciting.

I've tried to pick up my
fundraising game, and so far the

only real actual money that's
come in is from my family,

which was kind
of frustrating.

But I hope that, as a
group, we're successful.

Yeah, because after talking,
hashing out the details

of, like, housing expenses,
finding work for them,

it's like, yeah, we're helping
support like a person coming

here and we can't fail.

In high school, I would
never have pictured that

I would be a drag queen doing
stand-up comedy in my 30s.

I inspire people.

I usually inspire them
to avoid eye contact,

tell their kids
to stop staring.

But that's power.

These are good!

We're going to go
towards that version.

So give yourselves
a round of applause.

The government of Canada
basically filtered

LGBT cases and
sent them to me.

From the list I have, the circle
will choose the newcomer.

It's a very hard decision
and maybe it's one of the

hardest that they will do,
that they feel like, oh,

they are choosing one and
they are leaving the other.

We should keep in mind that
from people requesting

help from every 100 person,
only one person,

unfortunately,
is being helped.

Canada is doing good work
comparing to other countries,

but still there's a
lot of things to do.

Okay, so I got the email
with the three profiles.

Yeah, so basically we're
expecting to match one of the

profiles today
with the meeting.

All three of these
profiles are Ugandan.

Looks like some are in Kakuma
and some are in Nairobi.

Yeah.

So the first one,
26-year-old male, English.

Next one's 31, one-year
college in journalism,

speaks English fluently.

Possible.

I mean, depends on
the third profile as well.

22-year-old, diploma in
art, fashion and design,

speaks English fluently.

But he's 22.

Is the circle strong enough
to support a 22-years-old?

Like, seriously,
those questions,

we need to ask them, right?

That's for them to decide
if they are strong enough

to support
a 22-years-old.

Kenya has a lot of refugees
from all over Central Africa.

The one that I know about is
Kakuma Camp in northern Kenya,

and it has 180,000
people in there,

and many of them have been there
for years and years and years.

So when a lot of LGBTQ
started arriving from Uganda

and various other countries,
it did not go well.

There was a vicious attack on
several of the LGBTQ refugees

with machetes and beatings.

You have to say something.

I got nothing to say.

Will you...

You and Kenya, please.

We've been telling
you for days and days,

evacuate us from Kakuma.

You don't hear.

You want us to die.

We are dying right now!

And those pictures
were all sent to us.

You know, and they're desperate,
and as soon as they have

contact with somebody,
they just, they keep

sending you stuff.

And, you know, the hard part is
that we can only help a

couple of them,
you know, so...

Yeah.

And I was thinking
about this the other day.

The two people that
sent all of these photos,

I don't know what
happened to them.

Yeah.

You know,
this is all very abstract.

"We're gonna help some
refugee!"

and all of a
sudden you see this,

and you're just like,
"Holy crap!"

Yeah.

We know that no matter
what, each of them is

fleeing persecution,
risk or experience of torture,

and it just needs to
get the fuck out of there.

As Anthony
said so eloquently.

So with those three profiles,
maybe the question is,

who's best suited for our
circle?

I feel like Vancouver is a great
match for someone in arts

and fashion who has a
certification

or in the case of
the youngest applicant,

I think it was a degree.

Diploma in art,
fashion and design.

Okay.
Mm-hmm.

I need one more minute.

I really don't have
thoughts on this.

I really don't have
a pull, anyway.

I don't want to make a
decision, if that's okay.

That's totally fine.

Yeah?

Yeah.

I mean, I would probably
say a very similar.

Yeah. All of the
practical stuff,

I would have
no concerns about.

It's just the sociology
of coming to a new city.

And, unfortunately, I think
that's a younger person's game.

Yeah.

I say we dare
push for a vote.

Look, I'm voting for
the youngest one.

Second vote for
the youngest one.

My vote.

I'm very comfortable with that.
It's fine.

I'm comfortable
with it, too.

So, do we have a consensus that
everyone can live with?

Are we ready?

Okay.

Wow.

There we go.

We've chosen.

Drake:
I'm so excited!

I'm so happy.

I don't know, I don't
like, I just don't know

how to express this.

I think I can shout!
Ah!! I'm so happy!

Like, oh my God.

I don't know
what to say to you.

Like...

I'm crying, I'm sorry.

Thank you very much.

Thank you
for all loving me.

Thank you very much.

- WISH ?
- Hey, it's Emily.

Okay,
come on in.

WISH is
a drop-in centre

that serves any
woman-identifying person

who has or does
engage in sex work.

They can come and,
you know, get a hot shower,

get a new pair of clothes,
get meals,

also get connected to support
for housing,

for a number
of different things.

Whatever really they need
support with,

I think WISH is always there to
support women who do sex work.

Indigenous people and
LGBTIQ2S people

are grossly overrepresented
in this community,

so
as a white person

who's also Algonquin,
who's also queer,

who's also
lived through violence,

I think I feel a calling
to this community.

I worked at WISH
for a very specific reason,

and I don't think that
that reason-- like,

that impetus is what took me
into medicine.

So the overall goal is
to return to this community

with different--
with a different lens,

with different
power.

So Drake arrives
November 13th.

So that's like, yeah,
under two weeks now.

- Mm-hmm.
- Then he gets here.

- Crazy.
- It is crazy, yeah.

It's going to be--
it's going to be interesting.

It's going
to be fun.

Drake's going to be living
with us for his first two weeks

until he finds
his own place.

He can feel freedom here
and, like,

hopefully
family and community here.

- I hope.
- I feel good about it.

I really
don't know.

I can't even tell you
if he's really excited or not.

I can only imagine it's
a whole huge mix

of emotions
that you're feeling.

Like, it's gotta be devastating
at the same time.

Like, he's walking away
from people

he probably
will never see again.

So as exciting as it is
to move to a place

where he can be more of himself,
like, it's also devastating.

So I have no idea.

Maybe we should start
messaging him so that he--

- House rules.
- Oh, no.

You get one towel
in a basket.

Oh my god.

For
the welcome basket,

some of the conversations
were condoms, socks, underwear,

umbrella, gloves...

Um... what were
some of the other things?

Like, anything you need
when you get up in the morning

and run your day.

Razor, like, what do you
use to shave?

Oh, well, that's going
to be a journey.

We'll talk to him
about that,

because there are
no products in North America

for, like, Black facial hair,
just straight up.

Well, not in North America,
but in Vancouver.

Probably
in New York.

You could probably
go to, like,

a Black barbershop or something
and find something.

Yeah, Vancouver
would be hard, eh?

Yeah, it's like--
it's actually impossible.

My god, I didn't
even think of that.

No.

What about--

Condoms.
I think we should get condoms.

- Definitely should--
- Why don't you--

Should we do--
we should do lube too?

Yeah. Yeah.

And a book, right?

Yeah,
graphic novel.

Yeah, this is fun.

You got to find
the dick.

There, I found it.

It's like a search.

It is!

Do we know
what kind of graphic books?

Like, a superhero,
or social issues?

I'm realizing that we don't
know much about him,

just as a broad
kind of observation.

Okay.

I moved to Vancouver from
Toronto in order to be gay.

And Vancouver was kind of
like this opportunity for me

to create a new identity,
like, entirely.

And I had a bit
of culture shock here.

So there's a lot
of different sides

to the experience of someone
that has dark skin in this city.

It's not all bad, actually,
it's really complicated.

There's just a lot
of low-level racism

that just becomes like death
by a thousand cuts.

I imagine that the reality
will start to set in

that a real person's gonna
be here in a matter of days,

'cause it's just this, like,
concept of a person right now.

I think it's slowly starting
to shift, though.

I'm starting to feel like
something real is happening.

Okay, what do we
want the signs to say?

Tell me.

Okay.

So we agreed that Anthony's
suggestion, "Welcome, bitch,"

is a bit too extreme
right now.

It's
a little too extra.

I don't think so,
but I'm not sure my view

is the most
popular view.

Okay.

You come off a plane...

you're fleeing
persecution.

What do you
want to read?

You meet these eight...
dumbos.

That's fair.
Yeah.

And then you might think
to yourself, like, "Oh, shit.

Do I actually have to deal with
these people for a year?"

Sure, and what sign
makes that a little easier?

- For them.
- Mm-hmm.

Like, what about,
like, "Hello"?

You know?

- Hey.
- Hi, Marlon.

- Hey, guys.
- Hey.

I would love to get
something to drink.

It doesn't
have to be booze.

Could just totally
be water.

There's beer in the fridge,
there's gin row in the fridge.

Is there, like,
is there just water, though?

There is just water.

Here, I'll get it
for you.

Here, let's just
give you the tools.

No, no, no, that's
not gonna help.

I need, like...

A clean slate.
Okay.

My friend just had
top surgery.

Mine's coming out.
Are they happy?

Because-- like,
so elated, which is...

I can't wait.

I got haywire and a binder
and it's...

They were really nervous,
because it was late in life

and they were like, "Do I do it?
Do I not?"

And then we're all like,
"Well,

if it's going
to make you happy..."

- Totally.
- Absolutely.

There's no time,
like, now.

No, honestly.

What are we gonna say
on the sign?

'Cause
that's just dumb.

Well, I suggested,
"Hey, bitch,"

but apparently it was
too much for some people.

- I...
- That makes sense.

I second that.

I'm doing it.

You know what?
Screw you, Marlon.

I'm doing it.

So you didn't
talk to him, right?

It's going to be intense
for you two, right?

- Do you think?
- Yeah, it's going to be.

I think so.
I think it is.

Only-- I mean, like,
not bad intense.

Just it's going to be
a pretty big shift

having someone
live with you.

I thought about it
today--

But it might
only be two weeks.

He's going to need
so much.

I think it's important that
people come over this weekend.

So much joy.

I'm happy to be
the mom of the crew.

Oh, shit.
It arrived.

Happening.

Oh my god,
that's him.

She's like,
"Hi, Drake."

It's a Sunday.
I'm sorry.

No more phone calls
or texts today.

Hey, you want to get
a picture of her?

Sit.

Yeah.
Sit, baby.

She's sitting.

It's as good
as you're gonna get.

Mm-hmm. Sit.

Yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah.

Okay, wait,
we'll keep her frozen.

This is a podcast
I used to do

with some organisation
online in Nairobi.

It's called
The Nations Network.

This was one of my best videos,
I guess.

One of,
but not the best, yeah.

Because you've already said

that the church is
where we have to go

to seek refuge
in such scenarios.

But what is it
like?

Mostly the churches
are the ones who, like--

- They condemn people.
- They condemn.

We were talking about
how the church has been

one of the biggest percentage
of, like, promoting stigma

in both LGBTI and
in both HIV-affected people.

Because, you know,
what the church says

is what the people follow,
especially in Africa.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

You shouldn't feel like
the church sends you--

If the church
sends you away,

you can't create your own church
in your own heart.

Nairobi,
I won't say it was fun,

though sometimes
I was sick.

'Cause I had
built a life there.

I learnt their language
in two years.

It was tough.
But we survived.

Every day
was a surviving day.

I remember even
the things I did,

things I'm not happy about,
but you do what you do

in Nairobi
to survive.

To be frank, we have had
a wonderful time with Drake.

He's got
such a funny personality.

He really is a performer
through and through.

Like, the world
is his stage.

He's
an amazing cook.

He's cooked twice
for Emily and I.

And it was amazing.

Hey, what are you
making?

I'm making tapasi.

Holy shit.

You know, we said
that we would

house Drake
for two weeks,

and we're happy
to do that.

And it's a time
for him to celebrate,

and it makes sense that he would
celebrate, and it's important.

It's the first time that he can
openly celebrate as a gay man

and not have to face, you know,
persecution against his life.

That celebration
makes sense.

And then it somehow
progressed into

a little bit of
a 48 hours of crisis.

Some of the things
that Drake is doing

is offending certain people
in the group.

The two primary issues
right now

have been
alcohol and cannabis,

which are both legal
in Canada.

And certainly given that the
choices that he's been making

since he's been in Canada
are in no way bad.

They're not illegal,
they're not...

They're nothing.

They're... the choices
that make sense for somebody

who's likely been through
what he's been through

and now is plopped
into a home

that he doesn't know
the people of

and has a circle staring at him
looking at what he's doing.

And that divide
affects the group,

because we have to move forward,
and we have 11 more months.

More than 11 months.
We're one week in.

So we have more than
11 months moving forward.

And that was a very
immediate understanding

and realization
that has come,

is that the group
is divided,

and the way in which we respond
to Drake's needs

and the way in which
we support him is divided.

And at a certain point
we have to figure out

whether or not we can get to
a common ground

or whether or not
we have to make some changes

in the group in terms of
how it moves forward.

I'm not really sure
why it escalated

in terms
of confrontation,

like, why so much friction
within the group.

We're not the first
people to do this, right?

We're not the first people
to sponsor Rainbow Refugees.

There's probably been friction
in other groups too.

But it seemed to have
escalated very quickly.

Our strategy was
to compartmentalize, right?

Like, you do dental,
you do housing.

But I don't think
we've been cooperating

as a group
very well.

Drake is a person
that we've brought in

to help resettle
in this country.

We haven't brought him
into this country.

We've helped somebody resettle
to start their own life.

But there is no way that
I am going to tell anybody,

new to the country,
an old friend of mine,

any of you
in the circle,

what you can and can't
imbibe in.

I think, like,
how do I say this?

I think
it's actually been

more frustrating to deal
with the circle

than it has to actually
engage with Drake,

which is embarrassing,
to be honest.

Like, it's a bunch of,
like, well-to-do adults

in, like, one of
the richest cities in the world,

and we can't
get our shit together.

Like, I don't have time for
there to have been a party

for the first four days,
and then we have to rush,

rush, rush to find them
another place to live,

because it's too much
for you.

So, I feel
like I also--

I'm sorry, I don't
think that's fair.

These guys have stood up
and offered a place.

Nobody else was able
to provide housing.

Not a single person
offered.

They came up
with it.

I don't think it's fair
to be judging that now.

And we didn't have
a four-day party.

Everything
that you have said

is not an accurate reflection
of what happened.

Honestly, this is
not about us, in my opinion.

This is about
Rainbow Refugee

and being given
the structure and the--

'Cause I got to that point
where I was like,

"I'm directing this
at you."

And I was, like, upset.
And it wasn't about you.

It was about not feeling
like there was any guidance.

I don't really think
that's a fair comment.

I mean, you know, as we have
gone through many, many circles,

a number of guidelines
have been established.

Primarily, I'm thinking
about the code of ethics.

There's certainly been problems
with other circles.

This is a problem
a lot of the time

because this goes directly
to the newcomers' agency.

They are an adult.

They are a person
who's survived a lot of stuff.

And it's not our job
to tell them, you know,

you have to do this,
you have to do that.

It's just not
our role.

Our role is to support,
to advise, but not to control.

And it's in our code
of ethics.

It's
that big of an issue.

If you're concerned about
some of their actions,

you can absolutely
raise those concerns,

but you cannot tell them
that they can't do

something that is legal,
like drinking or smoking.

You know, you can certainly
offer to find counselling

for addiction services,
but that's it.

You have to let them
find their own way.

We're here to guide
and to help and to assist

and to connect
with resources.

Not to judge,
not to say you will do this

or we'll hold your money back
if you don't do this.

And I think that
Drake will find his way,

but we need
to figure out housing,

we need to figure out
a few other things

and figure out
how to move on.

Like, how do we
do this?

I'm getting a room
for $600.

The first thing I noticed
when I came to Vancouver,

housing
is expensive.

This is not all
what I wanted,

the one I had in my fantasy,
in my mind, in my head.

But I'm getting there.

It will get done.

Everything has an end.

Even the Old Testament ended
and we got a new one.

Interviewer: Drake,
what happened to your tooth?

Um...

Can we
not talk about it?

Interviewer: Yeah.
Yeah, okay.

I was 14 when I left
my father's house.

The moment I left
my father's house, I grew up.

I knew that everything I put in
my stomach is my responsibility.

If I fall sick,
the medication,

it will be my responsibility,
everything mine.

I'm past that age of telling,
like, don't smoke, don't drink.

Because when I left
my father's house,

to keep warm outside,
I used to

smoke a cigarette
just to keep warm.

So I felt like
if they wanted me to, like,

not use everything
they didn't want me to use,

they would have got me
when I was 14.

We have a saying
in our local language,

"Whatever grows bent,
if you try to straighten it,

it just breaks."

The newcomer faces
a lot of challenges

when they arrive
here.

He will need
mental support

to help him
through this transition,

to let go
of the past

and to focus on the present
and the future.

I definitely have full trust
in the people remaining,

and I personally think that
we can't put a price on this,

and no matter how many
people leave the circle,

we can't take this
away from anyone.

They put their time,
they put their effort,

they put their money,
and they decided

they want to do it,
and they did.

They changed someone's life.

If that's not an act of heroism,
I don't know what it is.

I really call them heroes.

They are.

Kay:
Drake, we're looking for

the smallest tree possible.

Like?

Like, you ever heard of
Charlie Brown?

Have you watched that?

Nah.

What about this?
Is this small?

I'm 5'9,
so this is about, like, 5.

I don't know if they have
that much shorter.

What do you think?

Yeah.
Okay.

Let's take that.
We're going to dress it up.

We're going to
make it look beautiful.

Alright.
First Christmas.

Emily:
Christmas is a lot of work

and that's what I was
trying to tell you.

Kay:
I'm cutting them.

My god, everybody.
Chill your tits.

Emily:
Stroll in at 1:00 PM.

It actually takes
weeks of preparation.

We didn't have--
oh, my god, what am I doing?

Okay, where'd my fork go?

I eat when I'm nervous.

Look now.

Oh.

Wow.

I'll have, like, a small--
yeah, that's good.

I don't think you can
really prepare yourself

for an experience like this.

You're literally throwing--

One, two, three, four.

like, almost
10 strangers together

at the beginning of this,

and just saying,
"Figure it out."

We work together intimately.

Yeah.

Kay:
Drake, what are you

looking for in 2020?

Another glass.

Wine.

No, I think like me
being new in the city,

like, let me say,
on a new continent,

in a new country,
a new city,

I'm looking forward to
first settling myself in.

I want to thank you very much.
I never expected this love.

Yeah.

It literally broke me down.

And it's been a while
since I cried happy tears.

I'm so, so, so glad
for you guys loving me.

I know I've just--

It's been a month now since
I came into your life,

but I'm happy that
I'm in your life.

And a Happy Christmas.

Yeah, 'cause this is
going to come like this,

'cause this has to be, like,
looking like a corset.

Yeah.

Mm-mm.

No.

Woman:
So you said

you finished high school
in Uganda.

Drake:
Mm-hmm.

Woman:
Do you have a certificate?

Like a piece of paper?

Drake:
I didn't carry it

because it was so emergency
to leave where I was staying.

Woman:
I can see that

your spoken English is great.

How are you with writing?

Yeah, written English is good,
but some spelling words,

you know, but...

Woman:
Okay.

But that one, it's not bad.

Like, my written English
is very nice, 'cause, yeah.

And anything else,
as far as maybe--

What about like
a physical disability

or a mental disability
or any, like, medical things?

I don't have any medical issue,
but for the mental health issue,

I do like, you know,
not mad, but like, you know,

sometimes depression
kicks in, yeah.

Woman:
Okay.

Can we add that to the list?
Are you okay with that?

It's okay.

Woman 2:
Yeah, and we understand.

We're here to support young
people with their job search.

So it's good to have
those conversations too.

So I'm just saying
don't be shy to let us know.

This is a common discussion

that we have with
many of the students.

Yeah.

So the next question is,

what is your plan
for the next year or so?

My plan for the next year?

Woman 2:
Mm-hmm.

I'm planning, like,
by the end of this year,

I'm planning to be having
a very nice-- a job.

Okay, so you'd like to be,
you know, working?

Drake:
Working fashion or film.

So we have some folks that
want to jump from the bottom

all the way to the top.

It doesn't work, right?

It's not an elevator.
Life is not an elevator.

You have to take stairs,
you need to--

So we usually take,
like, a day or two

to think about it on our side,
and we'll send you an email.

Thank you very much.
Take your time.

Hey, Google.

Can you play me
Boom Party by Cindy Sanyu?

Hi, everyone.

You know this bitch
takes long to load.

I know.

It takes her time, you know?

We know, Google.
That's acceptable for Google.

Yeah, let's begin.

♪ Zulis tums pon dis ♪

♪ Up and down
like a basketblal ♪

♪ You and I
pon the dancing floor ♪

♪ Nebwolaba nkulemerako ♪

♪ Bitama gwe bwovaawo ♪

♪ I'mma call you Daddy ♪

♪ I call you Pappy ♪

♪ Come see me twerk it,
I know you like it ♪

♪ I'mma call you Daddy ♪

♪ I call you Pappy ♪

Sorry, I knock it.

Because you have a big ass,
so you never shake your big ass.

You turn up--

♪ Shawty make a boom party ♪

Drake:
Issa is my housemate.

This is Rayan.
Rayan is my best friend.

He stays in Dunbar, but he's
always visiting, obviously.

How long have I
known you, bitch?

For the longest time, I know.

How long?

We don't need to do--
we don't need to mention.

No, honey, it's actually
19 years, baby.

I need to speak about it.

Drake is a nice guy, serious.

Yeah, he's a friend to me,

I think now
is a long time from Nairobi.

So I love Drake.

♪ You and I
pon the dancing floor ♪

So I don't know
how you feel, bitch.

I don't know how your life--

No, I'm having fun.

You're having fun?

Yeah, it's cold.

Are you okay in Canada?

Yeah, it's cold,
but I'm still having fun.

Rayan:
Do you enjoy the food in Canada?

No.

Rayan:
The culture?

Issa:
Why don't you love it?

Rayan:
Why don't you love it?

Uh, because I'm, like,
I'm changing food.

Yeah.

Rayan:
What about culture?

I love the culture.
It's very amazing.

Rayan:
What about...

Let me tell you one thing.

If you have everything,
but you don't have freedom,

you'll never enjoy it.

So I'm in Canada,
I have the freedom.

The rest will come later.

David did live modelling
for art students.

David:
It's true.

Yeah?

David:
Yeah.

I did a few sessions--

I think I did, like, four
or five sessions for a while.

It paid well.
It was like 25 bucks an hour.

You could make 30
if you went fully naked, but...

...it wasn't enough for me.

And hey, it paid the rent.

Brenda:
Getting all sandy.

David:
Drake seemed quite ambitious

to like--
as soon as he got here,

to start being able to do
what he liked to do in Nairobi,

like sketching
and starting sewing again.

When I talk to him, he's like
someone who knows what he wants.

I think he's actually
much more motivated than I am.

I'm one of those people
that only produces

when they're put under pressure.

Yeah, I'll complain and bitch
about it the entire time,

but something will come out.

Finding a job he likes
might be the biggest challenge,

which is definitely
where I'm at.

At first, there was, like,
a lot of options.

I applied to over
30 jobs at the time.

I got three replies,
two interviews,

and the one I eventually got.

About eight weeks after
my employment, they fired me.

And I wasn't able to save money

because who can save money
on $2000 a month?

We live in an economic system

that just does not favour
young people and doesn't--

Like, wages can't--

my wages just can't seem to
keep up with the rent

or the living expenses.

So I don't want Drake to set
his expectations too high

where he thinks off the bat,

he's in Canada now,
he's in Vancouver,

he can start designing
and start making money off them.

Oh!

Look who it is.
How's it going?

Okay.
How are you?

I really hope you're okay
with that cigarette.

How've you been?
How's Brenda?

David:
You know, everything's Gucci.

Drake:
That's nice.

Making money, spending money.
Spending more money than I make.

Drake:
I know, it happens, honey.

Yeah.

Kay:
I always thought Lola

could be a therapy dog, but...

She absolutely
could not be a therapy dog.

Kay:
Look how good she is.

Okay, you ready?
It's coming.

No!

It's okay.

I've been better.

Okay.

Oh, god.

Whoa!

Shit, you're bleeding, babe.

Oh, shit, it's dark red again.

Stop it!

It's like that last--

Get that-- stop it!

I feel faint.

It's so dark.

I feel faint.
I feel faint.

It's so dark, babe.

You good?

Yeah, I feel alive.

Oh, yes!

See?

Lola, as if she got
some testosterone too.

Sit.

The dose of testosterone I'm on

is just so low that
it's really plateaued

right between the female
and male hormone levels.

So perfectly they/them.

I got my surgeon appointed in
January of 2019,

and hopefully,
by March at the latest,

I will have had my top surgery,
which will be badass,

and the first thing I'm gonna do
is mow the lawn topless

with a beer in my pocket.

The next year for me is really
all about coming into my body,

figuring out
what I want to be, I guess,

what I want the capsule
of my soul to look like.

Okay.

Do you have the keys?

Yeah.

Okay.

Are you working tomorrow?

Yeah, tomorrow I'm working.

Sunday, I'm going to the swim

and I have a Harry Potter
festival after that.

Oh, Harry Potter.

Kay:
Yeah.

What are you doing tomorrow?

Drake:
I'll be sketching.

Okay.

Let's do this,
Drakey Drake.

Drake:
Yep.

Kay:
How you feeling?

I won't lie to you that I like
anything in the hospital.

Like anything
dealing with the hospital,

like, it ain't my thing.

But I have to do it, so...

Mm.

Okay, let us pull up
in front of all of this.

There she is.
There's the baby!

Okay.

Drake:
It's funny.

♪ Adaka ♪

That song is too much
in your head now.

I know.

Text me after.
Let me know how it goes, okay?

Okay, I see you later, okay?

Okay.
I'll text you.

When I lose my tooth,
I lose my confidence.

I think I'll own
my smile again.

I'll own my face again.

I'm planning a photo shoot.
I'll spend anything it needs.

I'm so excited.

So beautiful.

There are lights in here.

I like this.
This is amazing.

This is so chandelier.

Wow.

I met Drake in Nairobi.

In this whole lot of
process of moving here,

we became friends.

I used to do photography,
documentaries,

and I used to work with Drake.

That evening, we left Nairobi.
It was like a miracle.

The moment we got on the flight,

Drake was just
the happiest human being

I have ever seen in my life.

How are you feeling, guys?

Drake:
Take me a picture, Conrad.

Take it for me last one, honey.

Conrad:
There you go.

I want you to breathe in,
relax, take a deep breath,

breathe out and smile, okay?

Taking pictures
makes me feel good.

Yeah.

And it's one of the things
that I like--

it helps me to calm down,
when I'm, like, overwhelmed,

and it brings me
excitement, yeah.

So we always do it.

Like, most of the time,

Conrad is the one
who takes the pictures.

Conrad:
He made me

his official photographer.

I'll just show you.

I have already told Drake,
we've come a long way,

all those years
out there suffering,

and now we're here, you know?

We got freedom, you know?
We're living our lives.

We're still alive.
We didn't die.

We escaped
all that shit, right?

And now we're here.
We're in Vancouver.

Getting your photos done.

Exactly.

Painting ourselves
with beauty.

How's it going, Drake?

Good.

Are you ready for the shoot?

Nice shoes.

Yeah, that's nice.
Great.

Yeah.
Yeah, good.

Serious.
Fierce.

Yes, that's great.
Oh, look at you!

Look at that.

Nice.
Great.

Oh, spicy.

Yes, work it.
Yes.

Good.
That's great.

Drake:
When you're posing,

you have to feel the vibe
of the pose, you know?

So it's like faking,
but you have to bring it up.

Like, you have to feel it

because you can't have bad moods
and then go for a shoot.

It won't--

You have to portray your...

bitch.

Photographer:
Nice.

Fun.

"Hey, Drake.

It was nice to meet
you last week.

We would like to offer you
a seat in our March 9th

Cave employment program.

Please let us know
if you would like to accept

or decline the kind regards."

Yeah, it felt good.

I always like win-win stuff.

So I had to feel good.

Yeah.

Winter is going away.
Bye, bitches.

And then the switch for summer.

If coronavirus goes away,
we enjoy.

So we just went shopping.

They didn't have toilet paper.

They said it was gone
by 5:00 AM.

Got some seafood.

What do you say, babe?

Don't film me.

Kay:
What are you doing?

I don't want to be filmed.
I'm too stressed.

Quarantine.

So my day is kind of boring,

because, you know,
we're in quarantine.

Nothing is interesting
in quarantine.

Everything is dark.

It's kind of, like,
making me get afraid and...

I'm so afraid of not making it
'cause I just came recently.

I hope this pandemic ends
and it ends completely.

Okay, day 38...
39 of quarantine.

I'm not sure.

Alright, so it looks like
you purchased, yeah,

a three months' supply.

So I've been working
from home for five weeks now.

I got hired as basically
a phone operator.

I do what I have to do
to pay the bills.

I'm going to be doing this
for the next few months

until we move to Toronto
to start my PhD.

And hopefully,
it can all be put behind me.

Also, I guess one of
the weirdest things

about this pandemic
is just how life

has just halted.

You can't really do
much of anything, so it just

feels like life
is put on pause.

I really feel
for Drake right now.

Such a letdown for everything
that he was promised

or everything
that he was expecting.

And I think he's also
a little lonely.

He's a social guy, and...

you know, there's only so much

video chatting
and texting can do,

but you're lacking that
inherent human connection.

Drake: What have you
been up to, David?

I'm doing good, you know,
keeping sane, keeping alive.

Yeah.

How are you?

What are you doing today?

I decided to clean my room.

Kay: Even throughout
quarantine,

we've tried to maintain
a very similar

schedule with Drake.

So we'll do online
virtual video meetings,

hangouts, usually
every Saturday.

When we talk to him, he seems
like he's a little frustrated.

He was in this interesting
place where he was about to

finish an employment program,

and then COVID-19 happened,
and then quarantine happened,

and suddenly all of that's
kind of off the table.

Even when we get out of this,
what the job market will be like

is really unpredictable,

and everyone's a little
uncertain right now.

So, I imagine that for Drake,

short term,
it's a little weird,

but the long term
concern for him maybe

is what does it look like
when we get out of this?

What kind of job will I be able
to get at the end of this?

What happens when
the support ends?

I don't know if he's thinking
that deeply into it,

but I imagine that
at some layer for him

is a concern of the,
what do I do next?

Growing up in Uganda,

oh my god, was good.

Oh, until my... sexuality.

But who grows up from home and
never wants to go back home?

Because I'm Ugandan, and
nothing will ever change that.

I'm so Ugandan and everything,

everything that flows
in my body is so Ugandan.

I love Uganda, from those
circumstances happen,

but Uganda will
always be my country.

That's the pain I feel

for them in my country,
but I don't regret.

Shit happens.
Things fall apart.

Okay, got your wallet.

My wallet...

You ready? Good.

Yeah...

Mm-hmm, totally.

Awesome.

I just got a call
from my doctor's office

that I have
my consult now, so...

Next week.

Ha, ha, stop it.

It's still gonna be a wait.

They said on average,
it's four to six months,

but it can be faster, but it
might be a little delayed now.

But she said you never know,
so she can't say.

Emily: Wait, what's
in four to six months?

The surgery.

The actual surgery?

The actual surgery.

Oh, man. I love you, babe.

Lola...

Oh, my god, it's very amazing.

It's very looking so sexy.

Look at it.

God. Take me a picture.

No.

Take me a picture.

You will experience.

I watched it in a movie.

By the way, I haven't told my...

I haven't told
my sponsors that

I've faced racism reacently.

It hurt me, and then
I had nothing to say.

Because I'm in Canada, please.

Like, and then I'm in Canada.

I'm in a new city
whereby I have no say.

Who will say?

You have a say, you have all the
rights, same rights like them.

Because it's...

It's you, you're the one
who will be...

So, this is the night
before my surgery.

Hi, everybody.

I'm in...

the surgery waiting room.

Pretty nervous.

But feeling good
about this outfit.

So, that's a plus.

And, uh, that's it, folks.

Let it happen. Let's do it.

Tell him, babe, you're done.

Hi, everybody. I've just
finished my top surgery.

The first thing I asked
the nurse was, "Am I flat?"

And she was like,
"Yes, you are."

But they give me like
a vial of fentanyl, though.

She was like,
"Here's the fentanyl."

I was like,
I don't feel any pain."

She was like, "You will."

I love you, babe.

I love you so much.

I do.

You know how much I love you?

I do.

Yeah. I love you
that much too, babe.

You do?

I do.

I love you.

Let's go watch some movies.

Okay, we're calling
Kay's mom next.

See ya.

Trudeau: I think we're all
feeling pressure

from Canadians
to get this right.

And we understand that

being cautious and gradual
and vigilant is essential

for how we move forward
on the gradual reopening.

Kay: COVID happened,

world shut down,
and now the world is slowly

coming out of lockdown,
only to go right back in.

But I think I'm
10 pounds heavier.

How I'm 10 pounds heavier

and I had 10 pounds
chopped off me is shocking.

But, uh... that's COVID.

I grew up
in a religious school,

and I used to go
to these dances

at the Haydon Shore Pavilion.

You know, young boys,
and young girls.

And I looked very similar
to what I look like now.

And I didn't quite understand
the concept of gender yet,

so I would always use the
girls' washroom at that time.

And I recall one dance, I went
into the washroom and a security

guard came in
and dragged me out

in front of, like, 200 kids,

and made me call my mother
to pick me up

because I had been kicked
out of the dance because

they said a boy had gone
to the girls' washroom.

It was mortifying.

I was, like, so embarrassed.

But I was still young.
I was like, what is happening?

So, the journey
has been long.

As soon as I got my binder off
after surgery, I was topless.

I feel just free.

I literally feel free.

For me, freedom means
the ability to figure out

who you are,
what you want to be,

and how you want the world
to perceive you.

Freedom, and the quest
for freedom,

can really only be attained
when you surround yourself

with people and places
where you feel safe.

Hey, babe.

Emily: Hey, baby.

Can I help you
with some skewers?

Yeah.

Kay: Um...

I'm not sure if you know,
but David and Brenda

are the other two active

circle members and they're
moving to Toronto on Tuesday.

Wow.

So, it's not, my mother says
it's not a circle, it's a line.

That's how she phrases it.

Two points.

Part of me is frustrated and
thinks, oh, that's so terrible.

And then the other side
of me is like,

we've been doing this now
for however many months

when it's really just
been us, Brenda and David,

in terms of who the circle was,
who've been active.

Where do you think Drake's at
in this whole process?

Do you think he's starting

to get positioned well
for month 13?

I don't know if it's the...

The pandemic makes, kind of,
the stopping of support seem,

I think, a little
bit more jarring because

the world is much
different than it was

when we started all of this.

Employment opportunities
look different.

Finances look different.

So, the 12-month situation,
I think it's gonna be very

different for people who arrived
and went through this.

Yeah, no, I think that
you guys have given him

a grounding here.

You've helped him
deal with his initial

acclimatizing to the city.

I think he's well positioned.

I think you guys have done
yeoman service

through a very,
very difficult period.

Um, you know, because
of the pandemic,

because of the stuff
these guys

have brought with them
when they arrived.

So, yeah.

Mmm.

David: I would look stupid
if I wore that hat.

It looks good on you.

Drake: No, it would look nice.
Let me show you.

For you, it would look nice.

David: No, I look like a rabbi.
I look like a pimp.

Drake: You look like
an Italian mafia in the '80s.

I'm definitely gonna
miss him just as a person.

It would be fun to go
to Pride with him.

Like, that would have been
fun this year, right?

But everything shut down.

Drake: Confidence
very much is love.

I had very many things
in my head, you know?

Buy anyway, I'm so happy.

I'm sorry we can't hug.

I know. This is COVID.
But this is enough, you know?

I'm going to miss you, Drake.

I shouldn't talk,
because I feel the love.

I really am going to miss you.

But missing isn't going
to be enough to say,

because we're going to
be able to still talk.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, it would be cool to be
friends in the longer term.

And I feel like
we are friends,

but I think he wants to have his
own life outside of the circle.

But sometimes I'm wondering
if we're, as a circle,

not doing a good job.

I was calling to ask
if you guys are hiring,

because I just saw a notice
that you're hiring.

Hi, how are you?

Woman: You worked
in a salon before?

Yes, I have.

Yeah? Yeah, cool.

But not here.

The job thing stresses me out.

But I just had to swallow it.

I'm like, you know what, Drake?
You are one man's island.

Because I've always
solved my issues alone.

At the end of the day,
it has always been Drake.

I don't think about that.
I don't have a job.

I think about where am
I going to get the job.

I gave up everything.

I gave up my life,
I gave up my family,

I gave up my friends,
I gave up like

everything.

And I had no idea what

I'm getting myself into.

You understand?

In my life, I've always been
insecure about my sexuality.

I've never been insecure
about my colour.

But in Canada,
it scares me right now

more than I'm scared
about my sexuality.

And right now,

about my sexuality...

honey, I'm not scared
about that anymore.

Because I feel like I'm free
to express myself, how I love.

But I'm so scared
about my life,

and my skin and everything
because it has happened to me

and it was so...

Couldn't sleep.

Couldn't open my
window at first.

I was so scared to walk

this direction, I was so scared
to walk a different direction.

But, um, I think...

The life we're living in...

Life has never been fair.

It will eventually pass.

Michael: When people arrive
here, they're so excited.

And then, you know,
they start to decompress.

And then, I think,
you start to think about

how much you've given up.

Language, culture,

family, place, you know.

And you gave it

all up because of this
one piece of who you are.

That part worries me.

You know, most of them
seem to find their place.

They seem to come through that,
not all of them.

Kay: We're 13 months in,
and you just wanted so much

for the end of this to be joy.

Because everyone wants in,
and you know, we can have

very real conversations with
how that's not appropriate

for that to be the end goal,
but we're still human,

and you're still
connected to this person.

And the same way I want
you to have joy

and all of you to have joy,
I want him to have joy.

Then, you didn't
get to the joy.

You can't help but be sad.

Emily: I see a lot of amazing

experiences that he's had
and he's going to have,

and I see him persevering.

I see, like, energy in him.

Absolutely, yeah.

And so, I think
it's also that, right?

It's like learning that we can't
expect somebody to come here,

and within a year, even though
objectively it might sound

like a long time, it's not.

And that's really hard to watch
because we all want him

to be doing super well.

All I see when I look at you,
Drake, is a very young,

beautiful man who's just
trying to do his best.

Sometimes I get
fed up of trying.

Totally.

Yeah, sometimes you literally
get fed up of trying.

Like, you try the first time,

you try the second time,
you try the third time.

You're in, like,
your 15th time,

but you're still trying.

Well, the only thing
you don't lose is hope.

Kay: Do you still feel some

excitement or...?

The excitement being here
left me a long time ago.

It's left.

If it's a group.
What's up, group? This left.

But, um...

at the end of the day,
I'm like,

if I survived where I was,

I can still survive
in a beautiful city

like Vancouver.

But I've never given
up on my dreams.

And, like, I still know that
my future is going to happen,

but right now,

I just want to be comfortable
in my own skin,

in what I own and in what
I have, in the friends I have,

in where I pass
and in the good I trust in.

So, that's my dream.

Like, to be comfortable with
what I have and what I own.

You know?

Success comes
in believing in yourself.

So, if you don't, no one will.

This is the world
we need to live in,

where we choose whom
to love, you understand?

And we don't have to be

questioned or judged
or seen in

a different way
because of the same sex.

♪ And it feels
like I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels like
I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels
like I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels like
I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels
like I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels like
I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels
like I'm wandering off ♪

♪ I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And the fear of falling... ♪

♪ Apart ♪

♪ Fear of falling... ♪

♪ Apart ♪

♪ Oh, my father ♪

♪ Take me home, carry on now ♪

♪ Find the will to go on ♪

♪ You've got a friend
in your son ♪

♪ But I'm caught in
this line of fire ♪

♪ Where's that boy
with the idealistic future ♪

♪ Guess the boy's getting old ♪

♪ He's at a fork in the road ♪

♪ And it feels like
I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels
like I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels like
I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels
like I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels like
I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels
like I'm wandering off ♪

♪ And it feels like
I'm wandering off ♪

♪ I'm wandering off ♪