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Please join us this week from November 13-19th as we recognize Transgender Awareness Week which aims to increase awareness, visibility and knowledge of trans people, and the issues faced by members of trans communities. 

Transgender Awareness Week leads up to the annual and international Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR) on November 20th. Trans Day of Remembrance was first observed in 1998 by trans advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith who hosted a vigil in memory of Rita Hester, a trans woman who had been killed that year, and who’s murder remains unsolved.  TDoR has become a day to honour the memory of all the trans people who have lost their lives as a result of transphobic violence that year.

Trans and nonbinary people continue to face marginalization and discrimination in the community, schools and in their place of work.  Transphobia and associated stigma can also create barriers for trans and nonbinary people’s access to and inclusion in services, resources, and employment. It is a collective responsibility to work to reduce these barriers. 

At ARIDO, we are committed to challenging marginalization and discrimination based on gender identity and gender expression. We welcome each person as they are and are focused on challenging discrimination and marginalization based on gender identity, gender expression, and race.

Let’s take this opportunity to celebrate the lives of trans and nonbinary people and the contributions they have made and continue to make in the workforce and throughout our community, as well as remembering those who have lost their lives to transphobic violence this past year.  

Event: Learn the Lingo - November 25

Want to learn more about Inclusive Language, attend ‘Learn the Lingo’ November 25th! Register Here. 

Additional Resources

To learn more, ARIDO has curated some resources where you can advance your learning:

'In Loving Memory' Trans Awareness Week Booklist from the Ottawa Public Library

Trans Awareness Week Events hosted by University of Toronto

Egale Canada is focused on combating has resources about Trans issues, they also provide workshops and trainings for workplaces. Egale Canada works to improve the lives of 2SLGBTQI people in Canada and to enhance the global response to 2SLGBTQI issues.

Watch Disclousure - A Netflix documentary on transgender depictions in film and television. The film explores the history of trans representation in TV and film in unprecedented form, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures people's deepest anxieties about gender.

I Got Mine: The Story of Jackie Shane, radio documentary which profiles legendary soul singer Jackie Shane, a Black transwoman, who was a hugely popular singer and prominent fixture of the soul music scene in Canada and the United States.

#ARIDOawareness

#TransAwarenessWeek

#TDoRNov20

#EndTransViolence

#TransRightsAreHumanRights