AGIR Montréal

Acting at the intersection of one's legal status and sexual identity

AGIR Montréal stands in French for “LGBTQIA+ Action for Immigrants and Refugees”. It was created in 2008, during a collective dialogue among various members of the MultiMundo Coalition. That group of ethnic and racialized LGBTQIA+ organizations (and their allies) worked to address the issues faced by these communities. It was constituted as an association in 2009, and then as a not-for-profit organization in 2011.

AGIR’s mission is to protect the legal, social and economic rights of migrants from lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer communities (LGBTQIA+). This includes asylum seekers, refugees, immigrants and persons whose status is undetermined. It offers support services that help users establish themselves in their communities, and group activities aiming to overcome social exclusion.

In carrying out its mission, AGIR uses a “for and by” approach. This means that people who have lived experiences as LGBTQIA+ migrants and refugees are not only the focus of the organization’s work, but also leading it. This model enables AGIR to be uniquely responsive to the evolving needs of the community. It can also act across the range of diverse identities within it.

Currently, AGIR is led by 10 or so full- and part-time employees, supported by a team of volunteers and a board of directors. In 2021-2022, the Collective Fund for Social Equity at the Foundation of Greater Montréal granted $30,000 to AGIR Montréal in support of its mission.

Visit AGIR’s website