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In Particular-ly Wonderful!

4/30/2016

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Picture
Thanks to Cindy Holmes for the presence of mind to take photos on Thursday evening. This is the panel of  folks who were in the movie "In Particular - barbara findlay"  at the Rio last Thursday.
Right to left:  Becca Plucer, director; Sheila Gilhooly; Shari Thorfinnson; Liz Whynot; Kimberly Nixon; Sadie Kuehn; Shantel Ivits; Deb Brady; Sandy-Leo Laframboise; Michelle Wilson; Tru Wilson; Barb Bell; Jeannette Piry and barbara findlay.
So many people have written to say how wonderful it was to be in community.  And community it was: from 13 year old trans girl Tru Wilson to 84 year old lesbian elder Jeannette Piry...
To Becca Plucer, the amazing director, and all of the outstanding folks who worked on the movie: we can't get enough history!  Thank you thank you thank you.
The movie will be available online after June 3, thanks to OUTtv, and I will post a link.

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 Urge your MLA to vote for Gender Identity Rights Now

4/22/2016

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Spencer Chandra-Herbert, our MLA for Vancouver-West End, will be introducing his bill to add explicit enumeration of gender identity and gender expression to the BC Human Rights Code on the 27th of April. It is identical to the legislation he has proposed unsuccessfully four times to date.

I am asking you to write a letter today using the template below in support of the upcoming bill. The intent of the letters is to prove to cabinet that there is wide support for this legislation in British Columbia, in 2016. The bill would give the same protection to gender identity and gender expression that is given to sexual orientation in the BC Human Rights Code.

The link below leads to a template on Google Docs for persons and organizations to write a letter to their MLA. You can either download it or cut/past its content.

                                                         Template link: http://tinyurl.com/TransEqualityNow

Please feel free to edit it to reflect your own views. The time is right, as the federal liberals are poised to produce their own human rights legislation to address transgender needs, and right now we have a good chance of getting traction on this issue at the provincial level. 

Thank you for your support and for letting the government know that you support  human rights protection for all British Colombians.


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Nominations for the Kimberly Nixon Legacy Award

4/21/2016

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This year for the first time, the annual Legacy Awards will include the Kimberly Nixon Legacy Award.  The award pays tribute to trans pioneer Kimberly Nixon.
For those of you too young to remember, Kimberly applied to volunteer with Rape Relief, a Vancouver rape crisis centre.  She was accepted as a trainee, but when she went to the training, was told she could not stay because she was trans.
The human rights case  and appeals that followed took years.  During the decade of that fight, Kimberly worked tirelessly to ensure that all of the other other women's centres in BC did not follow Rape Relief's transphobic and misogynist exclusionary policy.
Thanks to Kimberly, the law in BC is that the ground of 'sex' in human rights law protects trans people.
Though Rape Relief won in the Court of Appeal, based on an argument that, like the Catholic Church, they should be exempt from anti-discrimination laws because they were a charity, all of the other women's centres had trans-inclusive policies by the time the case was done.
So - lose the battle, but win the war.
Kimberly Nixon is a hero whose legacy must never be forgotten.
Nominate a trans* activist who has made a difference in the lives of trans people! The nomination form is here. 
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Are you a VanCity member?  VOTE!

4/18/2016

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It is very important that we are represented as queers in all of the institutions of public life.
Dara Parker, formerly the fantastic ED of Qmunity, is running for the VanCity board.  I have endorsed her personally, and STRONGLY urge you to vote for her, and for other progressive candidates such as Nikki Sharma.

(If you are a technoklutz like me, who cannot even manage to figure out how to put Dara's photo on this page, here's how to vote:  Log in to your Vancity account.  Follow the links to the election!  Easy peasy...
***
​
Here's what Dara says about herself.  
I am a passionate social profit executive with deep experience in financial management, governance, and strategic planning.
I serve as the Executive Director of QMUNITY, BC’s Queer Resource Centre. During my four years at QMUNITY, the organization has increased our budget by 61% – while building a healthy reserve fund – and increasing the number of people we serve by 23%. In 2014, we received the inaugural City of Vancouver award for Diversity and Inclusion.
During my career I have chosen to work with values-driven organizations making positive changes, including Cuso International, the United Nations Association in Canada, and Kids Help Phone.
After earning a Master’s degree in Urban Planning at UBC, I helped lead the development of the City of Burnaby’s social sustainability strategy.
I’m asking for your vote because my knowledge and experience will help advance Vancity’s commitment to helping people and communities thrive and prosper.

Website: www.daraparker.com  




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A look at colonization and residential schools

4/2/2016

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Alberni Indian Residential School (from United Church of Canada archives page)

Watch this important video which was passed to me by Shirley Turcotte, amazing Metis healer and teacher.
One of the things that disturbs me about the current discourse of reconciliation is that we settlers are finding it easy (relatively) to apologize for residential schools, which no longer exist, but are not talking about or recognizing that reconciliation involves a transformation of everything we have assumed: about our legal status in this land (almost none of BC has been treatied: we are essentially uninvited occupiers), about the relationship between First NATIONS and our governments, about our current, continuing practices of cultural genocide through the child welfare system.
Watch the video.
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Last Chance at Baby-Making!

4/1/2016

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April 8...


 Baby Making: Fertility Law and Assisted Reproductive Technologies

April 8 | Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver or via Live Webinar
 

The Continuing Legal Education Society of BC and Fertility Law BC, a group of BC lawyers who practice in this area, are jointly presenting the first-ever Baby Making: Fertility Law and Assisted Reproductive Technologies course on Friday, April 8, 2016.

The Family Law Act sets out a comprehensive scheme with respect to the creation of families through assisted human reproduction including the determination of parentage. As a family lawyer, you need to know how to advise clients who may require assisted reproduction, how assisted reproduction affects parentage, and how the new framework may impact your clients’ planning needs.

After taking this course you will:
  • be able to advise prospective parents looking to have a child using assisted reproductive technologies
  • be aware of the best practices and checklists for drafting agreements
  • know the pitfalls – understand where problems may arise
  • and much more...
Find out why you should attend CLEBC's Baby Making: Fertility Law and Assisted Reproductive Technologies from course chair, barbara findlay, QC:
 


Who should attend: Family lawyers; anyone whose practice is impacted by assisted reproductive technologies; lawyers working with the LGBTQI community. This course may also be of interest to wills, estates, and trusts lawyers.

Course Chairs:
  • barbara findlay, QC — barbara findlay, QC Law Office, Vancouver
  • Michelle Kinney — Cassels Murray, Victoria
Only one week left to register!
Live Webinar: $535
Live Course: $625

 

Reserve Your Spot
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