I was honoured to be invited to speak at Transgender Day of Visibility ahead of the flag raising at City Hall and then the march to and celebration at Silver Spire Church.
I wish I had video of all of the speakers, but I didn’t think to ask my 15yo to record everyone.
City Councillor Caleb Ratzlaff’s remarks were powerful and – I won’t lie – surprising, and I could not agree with him more (again, sadly, I don’t have video).
As a Regional Councillor, it is imperative that we acknowledge all of the diversity in our communities, as the social determinants of health are: Income and social status; Employment and working conditions; Education and literacy; Childhood experiences; Physical environments; Social supports and coping skills; Healthy behaviours; Access to health services; Biology and genetic endowment; Gender and gender identity/expression; Culture; and Race and Racism.
I absolutely mean it when I say there is no gender equality without trans inclusion, and the eventual achievement of gender equality will result in a (physically, mentally, and emotionally) healthier society.
Laura Ip - Regional Councillor 