November 13 marks the start of Transgender Awareness Week. Transgender Awareness Week is a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing experiences, and advocating around the issues of prejudice, discrimination, and the violence that disproportionately affects the transgender community, particularly for visible minorities. The Fernie Pride Society is proud to take part in Transgender Awareness Week.

With the passage of Bill C-16, Canadian history was made in June 2017 with both gender identity and gender expression becoming federally protected grounds in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. This was a significant step forward for the protection and legal recognition of trans and gender diverse communities in Canada.

To find out more about LGBTQ rights and protections in Canada please click here: https://www.canada.ca/…/…/services/rights-lgbti-persons.html