Transgender visibility day celebrated in northern Ontario
Friday was International Transgender Day of Visibility, which recognizes and celebrates the trans, two-spirit and gender-diverse community.
It’s a day that recognizes and raises awareness about the importance of representation.
Quinn Organ, who is two-spirited, said the day is also about recognizing gender-diverse people in Indigenous communities.
“Before colonization, our communities recognized our gender-diverse folks in the community and their roles,” Organ said.
“We recognize the medicine keepers, the fire keepers, the water walkers of Indigenous communities. So trans day visibility is really important for the work we’ve done in the past, the work we’re doing currently and the work we’re doing in the future.”
Laur O’Gorman said on this day, they think about trans joy, rather than trauma.
“When you see real depictions, real trans visibility, then trans people just become people,” O’Gorman said.
“And I think that’s key. There’s more to being trans than just trauma.”
O’Gorman said the journey to becoming transgender was confusing, in part, because there was little to no accurate representation of trans people in movies or television shows during that time.
“If you ever did see trans folk on TV, they were the butt of jokes, or they were villains, or sometimes both at the same time,” O’Gorman said.
“And so there were no stories of trans folks as regular people just living their lives, so it was hard to see yourself as a trans person.”
Réseau Access Network provides wellness, risk and harm reduction services, offering various levels of support to those in the LGBTQ2S+ community.
The organization said it wants more people to know about the services it offers.
“So maybe someone’s coming out, or it’s a child or a family member or a friend or a friend’s child and know that we are somebody in the community that are trying to support this community that is so marginalized and experience so much unintentional harm,” said Réseau’s Aspen Groom.
O’Gorman said the day is about celebrating trans joy to reframe the narrative and normalize transness -- and make it more visible.
Correction
A previous version of the article misspelled Quinne last name as 'Orgin.'
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.