Planning DeGroote's largest queer professional development conference

On Saturday, November 22, the DeGroote Pride Association (DPA) proudly hosted its flagship conference, beyond., at CIBC Hall. This event marked a milestone for the McMaster queer community, bringing together more than 70 registered attendees from six universities, six inspiring guest speakers and countless moments of connection and learning for allies and community members alike.

The vision behind “beyond.”

During DPA’s inaugural beyond. conference last year, the moment I stepped into my 2025-2026 presidency, I knew I wanted to scale up. beyond. shows us the power of creating spaces where queer students and allies can learn, network and thrive. This year, our goal was to take that foundation and build something bigger that truly reflected the ambition and resilience of our community.

The guiding phrase “think beyond what you know and achieve beyond what you dream” became a beacon throughout the planning process.

The planning process

Organizing an event of this scale while ensuring it resonated deeply with a queer audience required thoughtful coordination and collaboration. The DPA team worked closely with each speaker and stakeholder to create culturally relevant and emotionally engaging discussions, while prioritizing the safety and comfort of all students and professionals.

During the planning process, three key priorities kept DPA grounded: representation, accessibility and storytelling.

Our goal was to feature speakers who are proudly out queer professionals, representing diverse identities and backgrounds. We prioritized accessibility, knowing the economic barriers many in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community face, and thanks to our sponsors, we made beyond. free for all attendees—regardless of faculty, school or industry. Most importantly, we created conversations that blended technical expertise with lived experiences, resilience and authenticity in a queer context.

Highlights of the day

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room during Derek Stone’s opening keynote address. As vice president of Commercial Financial Services at RBC, Derek shared a powerful story about bringing one’s authentic self to work. His message reminded attendees that coming out is not a binary experience—it happens at one’s own pace and at any stage of life.

In the afternoon, attendees created vision boards to answer the prompt: “What does it mean for you to go beyond?”

Vision boards are more than just pictures and collages. For queer and trans folks who often navigate spaces where their identities are questioned or erased, a vision board becomes a safe canvas to affirm: I am here. I matter, and I have hopes and dreams for the future too.

To view some of the vision boards created by attendees, click here.

Looking ahead

beyond. was more than a conference; it was a statement of what’s possible when we come together as a strong 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

As we reflect on this success and positive feedback, the DeGroote Pride Association is already dreaming bigger for next year. Our commitment remains the same: to push attendees to think beyond what they know and achieve beyond what they dream.

To keep up with the DeGroote Pride Association, follow them on Instagram @degrootepride, or subscribe to their events on the DCS calendar.