By: Ashima Shukla, Staff Writer
On September 19, Under the Table poetry collective will host a fundraiser variety show at Wildfires Bookshop for Drug User Liberation Front (DULF). The event will feature an eclectic mix of poetry, short films, drag, burlesque, and music, alongside local artists selling prints, zines, cassettes, vinyls, and more. The goal is urgent and direct: to raise funds for DULF’s mounting legal fees as its members face prosecution for their life-saving harm reduction work.
“Everybody in the collective is queer and disabled,” explains organizer and curator Divya Kaur. “Knowing the overlap between disabled experiences and drug user experiences is a big part of why we wanted to do this.” The group, active for over two years, has consistently centred on accessibility and marginalized voices — a part of that is hosting COVID-safer mask-mandatory events for queer and disabled people.
“I don’t know anybody who wants to dismantle the way that the medical industrial complex looks currently and not care about prison abolition,” Kaur adds.
The lineup is intentionally wide-ranging, bringing together emerging and established artists from within and outside of Under the Table’s queer and disabled community. “It’s definitely a stacked lineup, and I’m really grateful for everybody who is contributing their art,” Kaur says. “We’ll be very fortunate to hear from people who have lived experience of being on the front lines.”
This emphasis on centring lived experiences is also a core principle for DULF. As Shafira Vidyamaharani, an SFU graduate student researching harm reduction explains, DULF was co-founded by Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx in 2020. For over a year, they have operated their Compassion Club and Fulfilment Centre in Vancouverʼs Downtown Eastside, providing community-led, non-medicalized access to a regulated drug supply. Their model is simple yet radical, offering tested substances in tamper-proof packaging with clearly labelled contents, eliminating the uncertainty and toxicity of the street supply. Their spaces include injection booths, harm reduction supplies, and peer support.
The results were striking: “not one overdose was known to be caused by DULF’s supply” Vidyamaharani says. Yet in 2021, police raids shut the initiative down. Both founders now face trafficking charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
As DULF’s legal team prepares for trial, the organization hopes to raise $350,000 by October 1 to cover the costs. “DULF’s lawyers are working at a fraction of their normal rates, but because of the time required the cost will still be very high,” Vidyamaharani explains. Community fundraisers like this variety show are a vital piece in sustaining this fight.
“Storytelling is a powerful tool for building empathy and giving us a look into peoples’ lived experience through art,” Kaur says.
“These kinds of events bring “a little bit of joy [ . . . ] put some fuel in folks’ tanks to have the drive to do some of the mutual aid and community care work that is needed.”
– Divya Kaur, organizer and curator of the Fundraiser Variety Show
Between performances, artworks for sale, and opportunities to donate directly, the evening will channel the power of grassroots initiatives. As Kaur puts it, “Hopefully people will bug their more financially privileged friends into sending some mutual aid money.”
For those who cannot attend, DULF also welcomes donations via e-transfer or through their Sustainer Donor Program. Another fundraiser organized by co-founder, Eris Nyx will follow on September 20, featuring her performance alongside DJ/producer Z.D.B.T. as Lemurian Time Warriors.
