Original subtitles

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 ♪