UVic hosts Trans history conference during Transgender Day of Visibility
The University of Victoria is playing host to the "Moving Trans History Forward" conference, which launched on March 30 and will run until April 2, coinciding with International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31.
The fifth bi-annual conference will bring to together more that 400 people from 20 countries to discuss the past, present and future of Trans+ people.
Open to the public by donation, the conference is both in-person and online to allow international Trans+ activists, academics, students, artists and allies to attend.
"The conference is about bringing people together," said Aaron Devor, Transgender Studies chair at the University of Victoria.
"The majority of the people who attend our conference are Trans+ people," he said.
"It’s a very rare occasion when Trans+ people get to be in a space for that many days and hours where they are in the majority."
Devor, who is the world’s first and only chair in Transgender Studies, says this allows for freer speech and for ideas to be explored more widely.
He says the conference and International Transgender Day of Visibility are significant for empowering Trans+ people and their allies.
"Trans+ people are able to stand up with their allies and make themselves known and feel good about who they are," said Devor over the lunchbreak of the conference on Friday.
"It’s important for Trans+ people to find each other and to be able to explore across a vast array of topics and ideas."
"UVic is home to the world’s largest Transgender Archives, which represents 17 countries on six continents, more than 130 years of research and over 60 years of activism," the conference said in a release.
"In January 2016, the university also established the world’s first and only chair in Transgender Studies."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Dozens of U.S. deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the U.S. over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.