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Last updated November 14, 2008.
2008 Pride
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Friday Nov 14, 10PM ET
Join 20/20's Barbara Walters as she talks with Gender Spectrum's co-founder
Stephanie Brill in an upcoming special featuring transgender families. Brill
explores with Walters the many pathways transgender people pursue to arrive
at parenthood. Some of the topics they will discuss include transgendered people's
rights to preserve fertility and the recent public - and lgbt community - response
to the highly-profiled pregnant man, Thomas Beattie. Walters and Brill also
address societal stigma towards transgender families and the need to raise awareness
and understanding. The impulse to parent is human, not gender-based, says Brill,
and love is what's needed to make a family.
Don't miss it and please forward widely!
This segment will air on November 14th at 10pm ET (check local listings) and serves as a follow up to Walters' sensitive and respectful interviews with transgender children and their parents aired in June 2007.
********************
Stephanie Brill is the co-author of The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families
and Professionals available at www.genderspectrum.org.
Free movie screening of ORLANDO.
Join us on Tuesday November 18th to watch Orlando, a film adaptation of Virginia
Woolf’s 1928 novel. Independent filmmaker Sally Potter's gender-bending
epic stretches through the perspective of four centuries of sexual politics
through the eyes of a sex-switching main character while dramatizing changing
relationships throughout.
Dir. Sally Potter w/ Tilda Swinton Rated: unrated
<Film Running Time 93 min>
Free Film, Free Snacks, Free Talk
Everyone welcome - allies welcome.
There will be time for discussion afterwards – hosted by Voices Bookclub.
* Everyone is invited to check out the Voices Bookclub and learn about future events, development, and involvement. Reading the book is optional.
Date and Time: Tuesday November 18 - 6pm-8pm Free!
at The Centre for Women and Trans People at U of T
womens.centre@utoronto.ca
Telephone number: 416 978 8201
563 Spadina Ave, Room 100
North Borden Building
* wheelchair accessible
@ The U of T Centre for Women & Trans People (non-students welcome!)
Friday November 28th & Friday December 12th 4:30 - 6:00pm
Pay what you can (suggested $5-10 but please stay within your means)
No yoga experience is necessary.
Feel free to forward this email to any community member who may be interested.
Please indicate if you do not own a mat, or if you have more than one mat and
would be willing to share.
Wear comfortable clothing you can move in. Bring water, and perhaps a bath or
beach towel . You may also wish to bring a pillow or bolster (pillow), and a
blanket to avoid getting too cold.
This class is being offered as a safe and accepting environment for trans-people
to explore yoga. It is open to all members of the trans community, including
non-students.
Yoga is a gentle yet challenging activity that can help you build strength and
cultivate relaxation. Yoga practice is fundamentally non-competitive, and safe
(has a low risk of injury) when we let go of striving to attain some ideal of
what the body should be doing. Moving the body can also bring up thoughts and
emotions, and this can be an opportunity to notice how we can be gentle with
ourselves and accepting of who we are, where we are, and how we are, right now.
Traditional yoga and exercise spaces can feel unsafe for many trans-people,
as issues with change rooms, and a focus on physical striving, creating a judgmental
or competitive atmosphere. The aim of the class is to provide a supportive space
for trans people to discover and enjoy yoga.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call Karen at 647-408-4083 or
email presentjoy@gmail.com.
If enough interest is generated through these two introductory sessions, a longer
series of classes will be planned starting in January.
_________________
Kripalu Yoga works with gentle movement and stretching to open your body, which
can lead to greater flexibility, less pain, and a sense of well-being. There
is a focus in Kripalu on non-judgemental awareness. Poses are offered in stages
so that you can practice at your own level, and can include the use of props.
Karen has been practicing yoga for ten years, and has taught classes to small
groups including a group in Boston with Aspergers Syndrome. She was certified
at Kripalu Center in Lenox, MA. She is originally from Toronto, and 'by day'
is an artist, queer person, idealist, and administrative faerie.
Trns Day of Remembrance - Tuesday Nov. 18th, 2008
Sky Dragon Centre
27 King William Street (between Hughson & James)
Hamilton, ON
7:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Trans Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 as a response to the growing issue
of anti-transgender violence leading to death. Now communities internationally
hold events to commemorate this day.
This event is open to trans folks and our allies. The Sky Dragon Centre main
floor is wheelchair accessible.
For more information please email transpeersupport@gmail.com
For more info www.rememberingourdead.org
and www.transhumanrightscampaign.org
The Trans PULSE Project is an exciting community-based research project with
the goal of exploring and improving the health of trans people in Ontario. This
team of trans researchers and allies is looking for someone who identifies along
the trans spectrum; who is well connected to other trans people in their community;
who is responsible; reliable; and respectful of diversity and confidentiality;
who has regular email access; who can contribute a few hours every month for
approximately 1 year; and who is passionate about their community! Applications
and information are available on their website www.transpulse.ca. To receive
an application in the mail please email to cet@transpulse.ca
or call toll free: 1-877-54-PULSE. Deadline is November 21, 2008.
A Policy Presentation
Friday, November 14, 1:00pm-4:00pm
3rd Floor, New Wing, Room 313
519 Church Street Community Centre
About the Need
Many agencies in the GTA are rising to the challenge and responding to the growing
needs of marginalized transsexual /transgender intersex and 2Spirit people.
Over the past three years the Trans Access Project’s Policy Consultant
Alec Butler has helped initiate and guide many of these agencies through the
accessibility process. For agencies still unsure about how to begin, this is
an opportunity to get acquainted with the community and familiarize themselves
with best practices and policies in regard to serving trans services users.
About the Presentation
There will be opportunities to discuss policy recommendations, and practical
solutions to common challenges that arise. All participants will learn unique
approaches to removing barriers and ensuring accessible services for this proud
and determined community.
Contact Info
If you and/or other people at your agency would like to attend a policy presentation
contact our Trans Access Policy Consultant Alec Butler at 416-392-6878 extension
4006 or email him at trans_policy@yahoo.ca
Funding for this project is provided by the Government of Canada's Homelessness
Partnerships Initiatives.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre 12 Alexander Street Toronto Friday, November 28th,
2008: 7-9 pm
The NEW "Families in TRANSition" Group is an 8 week psycheducational and support program for parents whose youth (14-25) have fairly *newly* come out as trans.
The FIT group will be co-facilitated by Dr. Nicola Brown, psychologist at CTYS, and Catherine, Founder of Transceptance. The program will run Tuesdays from 7-8:30 at CTYS and we are currently looking for parents who might find a group like this useful. This is a closed group (i.e., not a drop-in like Transceptance) so parents must register in advance.
The Transceptance group continues to meet the last Thursday of the month as part of this continnum of services for parents. As part of the partnership, the Transceptance group will now be meeting at CTYS and will be co-facilitated by CTYS staff and Laurie from Transceptance.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Nicola Brown
Researcher, Pride and Prejudice
Central Toronto Youth Services
Nicola.Brown@ctys.org
416.924.2100 Ext 249
An exciting new group (10 weeks) offered at Sherbourne Health Centre, in collaboration
with Rainbow Services (CAMH), on Substance Use specifically for Trans and Genderqueer
folks.
Co-Facilitated by Matthias Kaay and Yasmeen Persad
MONDAYS: 6-8 pm
SEPTEMBER 29 - DECEMBER 8, 2008
SHERBOURNE HEALTH CENTRE
333 Sherbourne Street (4th Floor) Toronto
Please register with Fatema Mullan (416-324-4100, x5256 or fmullan@sherbourne.on.ca)
Gender Journeys
Sherbourne Health Centre 333 Sherbourne Street 4th Floor
TTC access, limited/street parking, wheelchair accessible (with limitations),
healthy snacks
thinking about transitioning?
10 weeks of reliable information and meaningful community connections for anyone
thinking about their own gender changes.
Respect for a wide range of possibilities across the diverse gender continuum.
RUPERT RAJ is a Eurasian trans activist, therapist and gender consultant who
works with trans people and their loved ones.
YASMEEN PERSAD is a trans woman of Caribbean background. She is a trainer and
coordinates SOY’s Trans_Fusion Crew at Sherbourne Health Centre.
GUEST SPEAKERS • MOVIES • RESOURCE MATERIALS • STIMULATING
DISCUSSIONS
• Exploring Gender Identity
• Coming Out to Families, Friends and Co-Workers
• Dealing with Discrimination
• Health & Well-Being
• Trans Communities
• “Going Stealth”
• Hormones
• Your Personal Gender Journey
and more...
Wednesdays 6:15-8:45 PM October 8 to December 10, 2008
333 Sherbourne Street 4th Floor
Contact Fatema Mullan to register for the next group:
416-324-4100 x 5256 or fmullan@sherbourne.on.ca
Discretion assured.
We welcome people of diverse cultural and ethnoracial backgrounds.
TRANS ACTIVISM: A Canadian Reader and Practical Guide
(co-editors: Rupert Raj, M.A. & Dan Irving, Ph.D.
reviewer: Yasmeen Persad)
This dynamic book project will critically explore the history of trans resistance efforts, as well as the issues and struggles shaping contemporary trans activism in Canada. A groundbreaking initiative, it will be the first-ever anthology soliciting papers from a diverse range of trans advocates working in a Canadian context.
Working within an intersectional, anti-oppression, feminist and critical political- economic framework, this project will address multiple approaches to trans (transsexual/transgender) activism in Canada. These will include the political, economic, sociocultural, psychological, legal, medical, scientific, religious and existential/spiritual aspects of trans oppression and trans advocacy (the latter including anti-racist and anti-colonial approaches).
The goals of this book project are: (1) to continue to combat trans erasure
and invisibility through illustrating the rich history and contemporary presence
of trans communities and activism within a Canadian context; (2) to enhance
community-based research, trans activist endeavours and theorizing through critical
engagement with the understandings of trans identities and strategies, with
a view towards advancing the material lives and real experiences of trans people
residing in Canada; and (3) to inspire and reinvigorate trans activists and
community workers to continue to struggle for equity and social justice for
all trans people.
While much depends on the submissions received, this book will be divided into
three sections:
(I.) Histories of Trans Activism: What were some of the earlier forms of trans
resistance (pre-1990)? How did resistance take place? Where did it occur? With
whom/what institutions were activists engaging? Did other forms of activism
(i.e., early gay Pride marches, organizing for sex workers rights, indigenous
anti-colonial struggles, etc.) include issues arising from sex/gender alterity?
What lessons were learned? Is history repeating itself?
(II) Contemporary Activism: (a) Politicized Issues, (b) Ways of doing trans
activism (i.e., community-based research, art as activism, therapy as activism,
community service organizations, academic contributions), (c) Barriers facing
trans activists (i.e., burnout, dealing with “differences” within
trans communities, confronting transphobia, etc.); (d) Allies and Supporters.
(III.) Practical Tips for the Trans Activist: Self-care, networking, becoming media savvy, self-advocacy.
Not all submissions must be articles. You can submit drawings/graphics, poems, short stories, etc. If you are a grassroots trans activist, who finds it challenging to write (which might include people whose first language is not English, persons with language or computer literacy issues, visually-impaired individuals, or other folks with specific issues: please specify), you may also submit a request to be interviewed by one of the editors. If accepted, selections from the interview transcript will be included in the book. (We will limit the number of interviewees to a maximum of three people).
We encourage contributions which address, but are not limited to, the following:
*accounts of Francophone trans activism/organizing within Quebec and other
parts of French Canada (e.g., New Brunswick, northern Ontario)
*histories of trans organizing from all regions of English Canada
*essays on/by key historical figures within trans communities
*histories of two-spirit identities by those who identify as both two-spirit
and trans; organizing by First Nations trans people
*historical, institutional and/or personal challenges of trans activists
*trans organizing within, against and beyond gender identity clinics
*struggles for trans-specific health care services and equitable access to health
care
*fighting for inclusive, responsive and transpositive social services for trans
people
*trans people with disabilities; ableism within and without the trans and disability
communities
*art-as-activism (“artivism”)
*trans labour activism
*developing trans feminism and alliances within women’s communities
*trans prisoners; a transphobic justice system and a need for transpositive
prison reform
*past campaigns to decriminalize prostitution; trans prostitutes/sex-workers
as leading activists
*legal battles for human rights of trans people
*therapy-as-activism; the potential activist role of trans-identified therapists/
counsellors
*trans theorizing as activism (trans academia)
*scientific activism; trans-specific, clinical research as transphobic or as
transpositive (an evidence-based tool for trans advocacy)
*trans organizing within religious/spiritual contexts
*the fight for affordable access to (higher) education as well as job training
*affordable, safe housing for trans people
*trans (chosen) families as politicized sites of struggle
*HIV/AIDS and safer-sex activism
*trans seniors-as-activists; ageism within the trans community; organizing re:
the rights of older trans people
*immigration, refugee and settlement issues
*fighting racialization of trans people within and without the trans community;
whiteness as an obstacle to solidarity
*trans activism within gay, lesbian and bisexual communities
*the rights and/or emancipation of trans and gender non-conforming children
and adolescents
*anti-capitalist trans activism
*trans and genderqueer youth
*sexuality and trans activism
*intersex activism by those who identify as both intersex and trans
*transsexual versus transgender tensions
*developing anti-oppression frameworks within activist spaces
*trans activism reproducing colonial and nationalist frameworks
*class as a barrier to trans solidarity
*battling misogyny within ourselves and our communities
*coping with burnout, self-care strategies
*negotiating power relations within community-based research projects
*the violence we do to each other and working through our internal differences
*negotiating alliances between trans and non-trans activists
*strategies to transact, transgress, transcend…
Contributors must have experience as advocates or community workers working with trans people in the Canadian context. While we cannot promise that we will be able to include all submissions received, we still hope that all interested individuals will send us an abstract, including our allies and supporters (e.g., family members, partners, friends, colleagues, health care and social service providers, legal and medical professionals, researchers, educators, policy makers, politicians, faith leaders, etc.). We also strongly encourage First Nations trans people, trans people of colour, trans newcomers, sex-workers, trans seniors, low-income trans people or those with a disability, trans prisoners, as well as trans-identified genderqueer, intersex and two-spirit people, to submit.
A contract with a publisher has NOT yet been secured (but we do have three POTENTIAL publishers). Selected abstracts and bios from contributors will be submitted as part of the book proposal.
The editors are Dan Irving, Ph.D. and Rupert Raj, M.A. Dan is a trans man, trans activist, academic and university instructor working in Ottawa, and has published "The Tragedy of Progress: Marxism, Modernity and the Aboriginal Question." Rupert is a Eurasian-Canadian trans man, trans activist, published researcher, therapist and gender specialist based in Toronto. Your abstract submission will be reviewed by a three-person committee, including the co-editors and Yasmeen Persad, a Caribbean-Canadian trans woman, trans activist and community worker, who also does outreach with trans sex-workers in Toronto.
Please submit a 500-word abstract (double-spaced), and a 100-word bio (double-spaced) by Friday, October 24th, 2008 (12 midnight) to: irving.dan@gmail.com, rraj@sherbourne.on.ca and ypersad@sherbourne.on.ca.
(For your clarification, as a courtesy to non-academics: the abstract is only a synopsis or outline - not the finished piece itself - and should include the overall purpose, focus and proposed content, with examples, if applicable. The focus might be a particular population: e.g., trans people with a disability, and/or a specific issue: stigmatization around ableism within the trans community and/or transphobic discrimination within the disability communities and/or mainstream society. Your bio should ideally include relevant professional, community-activist and personal demographic information: i.e., ethnoracial, national, regional and cultural status, place of birth, age, gender identity, sexual identity, and specialized demographics: e.g., are you homeless/underhoused, poor/on a limited income, disabled, new to Canada, etc.; as well as any past, present or future specific trans activist efforts/projects).
We hope to be able to make our final decisions by Sunday, November 2nd, at
which time we will notify all submitters whether we will be including your piece
in the anthology. We will also acknowledge receipt of abstract submissions and
bios as we receive them.
Job Postings: RAINBOW HEALTH ONTARIO COMMUNITY OUTREACH TEAM
Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) is a health promotion and capacity building resource designed to promote better access to services and to enhance the health of Ontario’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities. RHO is funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long-term Care.
They are currently seeking one applicant from each of the 14 Ontario regions created under the new Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) system to join our Community Outreach Team (To identify which LHIN you are in and to find out more about the new structure of health care in Ontario, please refer to, www.lhins.on.ca). To acknowledge its founding partner status in this program, the initial position for the Toronto Central LHIN will be filled from the Rainbow Health Network membership. Positions in all other LHIN areas are open. For more information about the Rainbow Health Network, please visit www.rainbowhealthnetwork.ca.
Community outreach team members will work on a part-time basis to ensure that RHO has a presence throughout the province, that it responds to a range of needs and issues, and that innovative models and best practices are shared. Working closely with RHO staff and local community groups, outreach team members will promote the resources of RHO, identify local concerns and advocate for better services. The Outreach Team and core staff will meet twice a year to network, learn new skills and shape ongoing priorities.
These positions are part-time contract positions (10 hours per month) and are compensated at a rate of $30 per hour. Contracts will be for one year and can be renewed for up to three years.
For full details and to download the application package, please go to www.sherbourne.on.ca
and click on Rainbow Health Ontario Community Outreach Team. The closing date
is 5:00 pm on September 2nd, 2008.
Call for Submissions - First Person Narrative National Essay Contest
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
This Years Topic ~ Once I Was A Child
Essay Length ~ 2000-2500 words.
1st prize $500.00, 2nd prize $300.00, 3rd prize $200.00
With a special prize of $100.00 for Best Under Nineteen
Prizewinning essays to be selected by award winning author and Giller Prize nominee Wayson Choy and by Sarah Sheard, writer and mentor with Humber School For Writers
Submission Due Date ~ September 1, 2008
Prize Winners announced ~ December 15, 2008
Entries should be typed, single-sided, and double-spaced with your name, address and story title on a separate sheet. Parent/Guardian signature required for anyone under 19. Forms can be found on our web site. Entry fee is $25.00 payable to Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives by cheque or online at www.clga.ca. Free for anyone under 19.
All entries received by June 20 will be considered for the Wayson Choy Scholarship to the Humber School for Writers (July 12-18) Summer Program.
Send your stories to
Managing Editor, The Archivist
106 Walpole Avenue
Toronto ON M4L 2J3
or to jacoffey@rogers.com
The contest is open to all ages and all backgrounds.
All entries will be considered for publication in Keeping Our Stories Alive,
Volume 1, A Journal of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives.
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"The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable." --Paul Tillich
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"As I understand it, transvestites are the ones that grow down from the ceiling and transsexuals are the ones that grow up." --Pamela Yager