The 12th annual INSPIRE Awards, an annual celebration of LGBTQ+ activism and advocacy within an inspirational framework, is taking place on January 6, 2024 at the Hart House, University of Toronto. The annual event also brings together all the other honourees for the evening, including community leaders and organizations, and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and their allied networks.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow will be in attendance this year, with other notable high profile persons to include MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPP Jill Andrew, multi JUNO Award winning Canadian recording star Simone Denny, and this year’s honouree for the evening International recording star Peaches, who will be joined on stage by music legend Carole Pope to present her with the International Icon Award.

“INSPIRE Awards has for the last 12 years been a very special evening for our queer community to come together with the spirit of inspiration to thank and honour those who do good work. This year we are thrilled to also have Peaches in attendance to receive the International Icon Awards” says INSPIRE Awards President, Antoine Elhashem. “This is a not-to-be-missed event every year, with fantastic hosts, performers, and heartwarming moments.”

INSPIRE Awards was created in 2011 to celebrate the positive work of those in the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in the Greater Toronto and surrounding Areas. Since then, it has presented almost 300 awards to honour the most inspiring individuals, youth, businesses and community organizations who are making positive impacts in their neighbourhoods and communities.

INSPIRE Awards Categories are: International Icon Award; Lifetime Achievement Award; Person of the Year; Youth of the Year; Positive Business of the Year; Inspiring Community Organization of the Year; Lux Award for the Arts; Charles Roy Award for Activism in HIV/AIDS, and the Accenture Innovator of the Year Award.

Click here for a list this year’s  nominees and recipients.

INSPIRE Awards – Saturday Jan 6, 2024 – 7 Hart House Circle, Toronto

Peaches, is a Canadian electroclash musician and producer. An iconic feminist musician, producer, director, and performance artist, Peaches has spent more than two decades pushing boundaries and breaking barriers, dramatically altering the landscape of popular culture as she forged a bold, sexually progressive path that’s opened the doors for countless others to follow. Through music, art, film, theater, television, and books, she has upended stereotypes and embraced taboos, challenging social norms and patriarchal power structures while championing LGBTQIA+ rights and issues of gender and sexual identity with biting wit and fearless originality.

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About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats.