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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.