Our History

A Timeline of Resistance, Love, and Global Impact

Rainbow Refugee’s origins are not institutional but deeply personal. The story begins with two women, Christine Morrissey (1942-2025) and Bridget Coll (1934-2016) whose partnership embodied the intersection of love, resistance, and collective care. Their journey is one of community formation, transnational solidarity, and the persistent struggle for justice by and for LGBTQIA+ people seeking refuge.

From informal gatherings in living rooms and coffee shops to global human rights consultations, Rainbow Refugee has grown into an internationally recognized organization grounded in grassroots activism. It has remained committed to addressing systemic inequities by centering the experiences of those most affected. What follows is not simply a chronology of events, but a living account of how collective care reshapes systems and builds community.

 

1934–1980s: Faith-Based Roots and Transnational Solidarity

In 1934, Bridget Coll was born in Fanad, Ireland. Raised in a devout Catholic family, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph at the age of sixteen. Her early ministry brought her to communities shaped by colonialism and poverty, where she engaged in education and humanitarian work. These experiences laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to social justice.

Chris Morrissey was born in Leicester, England. Her family immigrated to Prince George, BC when she was eight. She grew up in a working-class Catholic family. She, too, joined the Sisters of St. Joseph and worked alongside poor and immigrant communities in Canada. Her engagement with these communities exposed her to the realities of structural oppression and led her to question the Church’s silence around gender, sexuality, and inequality.

In the 1970s, while both serving in religious life in the United States, Chris and Bridget met and formed a personal and political partnership rooted in Liberation Theology—a theological and activist framework committed to solidarity with the oppressed. In the early 1980s, they moved to Chile during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, where they lived in a marginalized settlement and worked on food security and community resilience initiatives. Their time in Chile solidified their belief in grassroots resistance and the transformative power of collective care.

 

1992–2002: Legal Mobilization and the Formation of LEGIT

Upon returning to Canada, Chris and Bridget faced a legal and structural barrier to remaining together. In 1992, Chris was denied the right to sponsor Bridget for permanent residency, as Canadian immigration law at the time did not recognize same-sex partnerships under the family class. With legal counsel from immigration lawyer Rob Hughes, Chris launched a constitutional challenge, arguing that the exclusion of same-sex partners violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

That same year, Chris and Rob co-founded LEGIT (the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Task Force), a grassroots collective born out of necessity. LEGIT was composed of LGBTQIA+ individuals in binational relationships who lacked legal pathways to remain together in Canada. The group met in community rooms and private homes, providing legal information, advocacy, and mutual support.

Between 1994 and 1995, LEGIT successfully persuaded the Canadian consulate in Seattle to process same-sex sponsorships under Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) grounds. Though this did not constitute a legal reform, it established a precedent. Ottawa subsequently issued a “Telex” to visa offices worldwide, encouraging similar discretion. Bridget was granted permanent residency on H&M grounds in 1992.

After a decade of sustained advocacy by Chris Morrissey, Deborah LeRose, and members of LEGIT—through efforts including public education and testimony before the House of Commons—Canadian immigration law changed in 2002 to formally recognize same-sex partners in the family class. Bridget was granted permanent residency.

While this legal victory marked a milestone in Canadian immigration history, Chris and her collaborators recognized that many LGBTQIA+ individuals globally continued to face violence, persecution, and exclusion, with no Canadian partner to sponsor them. The foundational work of LEGIT established not only a legal precedent but also a model of peer-based, community-led immigration advocacy that would shape future organizing.

2000–2010: The Birth of Rainbow Refugee and Expanded Purpose

In the early 2000s, LEGIT and Rob Hughes’s office began receiving increasing inquiries—not from Canadian couples, but from LGBTQIA+ individuals abroad who were fleeing persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or HIV status. These individuals were facing imprisonment, state-sanctioned violence, and death.

In response, Chris and Rob convened a community meeting to assess whether LGBTQIA+ Canadians could form private sponsorship groups. Rather than finding potential sponsors, they encountered dozens of queer and trans refugee claimants already living in Vancouver, many of whom were undocumented, unhoused, and isolated from legal services.

This moment marked the informal founding of Rainbow Refugee.

Monthly drop-in sessions, first held in Chris’s home and later at Qmunity (previously known as The Centre), emerged as a vital point of connection for LGBTQIA+ refugee claimants. These gatherings blended legal information, food, emotional support, and peer solidarity. From the beginning, they were grounded in the belief that lived experience, particularly that of trans people, people of colour, and those who had navigated the refugee system, constitutes essential expertise. Rather than relying solely on legal professionals, the group prioritized shared knowledge and mutual aid. Many participants who initially came seeking support became mentors, organizers, and leaders in their own right. This model of collective care and community-led support not only shaped the early days of Rainbow Refugee but continues to guide its work today by centering those with lived experience as knowledge holders, decision-makers, and movement builders.

During this period, Chris also met with claimants individually in public spaces, offering informal yet essential guidance. She advocated with Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs) to recognize SOGIESC-based persecution, filling gaps often left by mainstream refugee services that were not inclusive of LGBTQIA+ experiences.

In 2006, Rainbow Refugee joined the Vancouver Pride Parade for the first time. Many members marched anonymously in white clothing and face masks, a reflection of the danger and stigma many still faced. The silent response from onlookers became a powerful act of communal recognition and solidarity.

2011–2017: Institutional Recognition and National Frameworks

In 2011, the Canadian Minister of Immigration invited Rainbow Refugee to help design a new LGBTQIA+-focused resettlement model. Chris Morrissey worked closely with the federal government to co-develop what would become the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership (RRAP), which offered three months of financial support for LGBTQIA+ newcomers and created a formal mechanism for matching them with community sponsorship groups.

The first RRAP-supported arrival occurred in 2012: a lesbian couple sponsored by a Circle of Hope in Ottawa, led by Professor Nicole LaViolette. Chris was central to ensuring the model prioritized person-centred and trauma-informed practices over bureaucratic approaches.

During this time, Chris also testified before Parliament as an expert witness. Her interventions underscored systemic failures in Canada’s refugee system, such as flawed credibility assessments, heteronormative assumptions, and the forced concealment of identity.

Between 2013 and 2017, Rainbow Refugee transitioned from a volunteer-run collective to a formal nonprofit. The organization received charitable status, officially launched the Circles of Hope model, and hired its first staff member. Circles of Hope allowed small groups of Canadians to support LGBTQIA+ newcomers for one year, both financially and emotionally.

2018–2023: Policy Influence, Program Expansion, and Global Visibility

From 2018 to 2021, Rainbow Refugee operated without a permanent physical location, instead delivering programs through partnerships with Qmunity, MOSAIC, and ISS of BC. These collaborations sustained services during a period of rapid organizational growth.

A pivotal milestone came in January 2022, when Rainbow Refugee secured its first long-term office. After more than two decades of operating in borrowed spaces, the organization established a permanent, affirming home designed to meet the specific needs of LGBTQIA+ refugee claimants and their sponsors.

During this same period, Rainbow Refugee helped shape national immigration policy. Between 2016 and 2019, it co-developed IRB Guideline 9 with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, a policy framework for adjudicating SOGIESC-based refugee claims. Chris Morrissey and Sharalyn Jordan played key roles in training IRB decision-makers.

In recognition of her decades-long advocacy for LGBTQIA+ rights, immigration justice, and community health, Chris Morrissey was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2019, one of the country’s highest civilian honours.

Internationally, Rainbow Refugee participated in UNHCR consultations, bringing grassroots perspectives to global conversations on LGBTQIA+ displacement. Domestically, the organization co-chaired the From Borders to Belonging roundtable, an initiative uniting legal experts, advocates, and scholars to address systemic gaps in access to protection.

In 2023, Rainbow Refugee led its largest-ever contingent at the Vancouver Pride Parade. Members from more than twenty countries marched together, many for the first time without fear of retribution.

2025: Commemoration and Continuity

On April 14, 2025, co-founder and movement leader Chris Morrissey passed away. Her life was honoured across communities and borders, and her ashes were laid to rest beside her partner, Bridget Coll, at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. Their long-time friend and collaborator, Rob Hughes, continues to support LGBTQIA+ and HIV+ communities in Canada.

In recognition of her extraordinary contributions, the City of Vancouver proclaimed July 22 as Chris Morrissey Day. Chris was a lifelong advocate for 2SLGBTQ+ rights, immigration justice, and health equity. 

In 2025, Rainbow Refugee also celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary—marking its growth from a living room initiative to a national nonprofit with global reach.