Transgender Awareness Week & Transgender Day of Remembrance

Content Warning/Trigger Warning: This post contains discussion of suicide and violence against Transgender People. Please read on with care.

November 13-20 is Transgender Awareness week, which culminates in the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. The TDR is a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia and to draw attention to the continued violence endured by transgender people.

According to Stats Canada findings in 2018, 

• Transgender Canadians were more likely to have experienced violence since age 15, and also more likely to experience inappropriate behaviours in public, online and at work than cisgender Canadians.
• Transgender Canadians were more likely than cisgender Canadians to have used drugs or alcohol to cope with abuse or violence experienced in their lifetimes.
• Transgender Canadians were more likely to report their mental health as poor or fair than their cisgender counterparts, and also more likely to have seriously contemplated suicide in their lifetimes. They were also more likely than cisgender Canadians to have been diagnosed with a mood or anxiety disorder.

​We know from the Canadian Mental Health Commission's factsheet on Transgender People and Suicide that supportive and strong relationships with family and friends, access to gender affirming health care, and having one’s name and pronouns accepted can help reduce the risk of suicide, so we'd like to share some resources to help support our community 

This 'Beginner's Guide' from the Ryerson Centre for Women and Trans People is a good place to start:

​We would also like to share:

• Learn more about the state of Gender-Affirming Care in Nova Scotia and how you can help make NS the most Trans-inclusive province in Canada
• Trans and Gender Diverse Mental Health, Wellness and Suicide Prevention Toolkit from SPECTRUM, Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space, and Wisdom2Action
• Trans Journalists Association's Style Guide - This document is intended for journalists and members of the media to use as guidance for more accurate and sensitive reporting, but also includes a glossary of terms and some other advice that might be helpful for cisgender folks who are looking to learn and better support trans folks.

​
Number to Know : Trans Lifeline's Canadian number: 1-877-330-6366. Trans Lifeline provides trans peer support and is run by and for trans people.

Finally, because we can't say it enough: Second Story Women's Centre's feminism is trans-inclusive. We serve women and gender-oppressed people in Lunenburg and Queens Counties.