Humber recently held an information event to promote awareness for transgender violence called “Trans Day of Remembrance 2017” which was held on Nov. 20. This event gave staff and students the chance to come out and show their support for the trans community as well as better educate themselves on the topic. A PowerPoint presentation was shown displaying multiple trans people who have been killed due to transgender violence.
“I think it’s really nice to see that Humber shows this kind of support for the LGBTQ community,” Says third-year justice studies student, Alyssa Gibney. “I wasn’t aware of the seriousness of transgender violence until this event, but I am glad I do now.”
There were a number of events held around the GTA similar to the one that Humber hosted to honour those we have lost to transgender violence. This is a baby step in the right direction on the path to raising awareness for this serious issue.
Humber does it’s very best to provide the LGBTQ community with a safe, comfortable and support environment to ensure they feel the equality they deserve, “I personally believe that Humber shows strong support for the LGBTQ+ community. At least in my own experience, I have only felt respected and supported while on campus” Says Cal Campos, a third-year media studies student and member of the trans gender community. Cal also attended the event and said, “this was the first Trans Day of Remembrance event I’ve ever been to, and it honestly really moved me. I teared up quite the bit seeing my trans siblings who have been killed because of their very existence. It’s definitely something to think about: that could’ve easily been me on the PowerPoint of individuals killed for being transgender.”
Humber Dean of Students, Jen McMillen also feels as though the school does a good job of showing support to the LGBTQ community saying, “I think we’ve made tremendous progress in recent years” giving credit to the LGBTQ+ Resource Centre as well as The Gender and Sexual Diversity Committee. “The Committee has been very active for many years, and has really helped the institution move forward on a number of initiatives” Says Jen McMillen.
Jen McMillen also attended Humber’s “Trans day of Remembrance 2017” and thought the turn out for the event was great saying “I often say whoever shows up is who was meant to be there. There were lots of students and staff who invested time in planning this event, and to me it’s clear it had a tremendous impact.”
The recognition of transgender violence is increasing but there is still a lot more to be done. It is important for everyone to familiarize themselves with the issue and take the steps necessary to do what they can to spread awareness. Students at Humber can take the time to stop by LGBTQ+ Resource Centre to learn a little bit more about this issue and see what they can do to prevent it from happening in the future.
For drop-in hours at the LGBTQ+ Resource Centre visit: https://humber.ca/lgbtq/resource-centre