Tuesday, November 20th was Transgender Remembrance Day in North America, and Timmins was showing its support with a flag raising ceremony at City Hall.

There were about 40 people crowded outside the city building Tuesday afternoon, holding signs and flags in support of the day remembering those who have lost their lives in acts of anti-transgender violence.

Mayor Black helped raise the awareness flag outside City Hall in his last official duty as mayor. He was joined by Matthieu Villeneuve, President of Timmins Fierte Pride, who also gave a speech to the enthusiastic crowd. Members of the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) groups from Timmins High and Roland Michener were present, showing their support with colorful flags, signs and face paint. Villeneuve was happy to see GSA members present.

“I am just ecstatic,” Villeneuve said, “I can’t believe how big the GSA groups for TH and for RM [are]; the fact that they show up, there are 40 today. And every year they seem to get bigger and bigger, which is just absolutely phenomenal. Because I know that there are a lot of schools that don’t have GSA’s, and to have two that are quite strong and work together is absolutely phenomenal.”

In his speech to the crowd, Villeneuve asked allies to call out discrimination and prejudice towards their trans brothers and sisters, and that message is relevant now more than ever in Ontario. When asked about Doug Ford’s changes to the sex-ed curriculum in Ontario and the possible removal of gender issues and references to transgender people, Villeneuve said it’s unacceptable.

“It’s absolutely disgusting,” he said, “the fact that this is even on the table. We’re all working really hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. A lot of the northern Prides are working together to make sure that we can do everything within our powers to make sure that if it’s going to happen, we can at least slow it down or we can just stop it all together, which would be the dream.”

Trans people are often the subjects of bullying and abuse, especially for youths and high school kids. Villeneuve commented on how much perseverance is needed to be proud of your differences, especially when it comes to gender.

That’s the way it works,” he said, “we often have to just keep trucking even though everything’s working against us. The fact of somebody being trans gendered or not is really not anybody’s business other than that person’s. I don’t see how this is even an issue, to be perfectly honest. I don’t see why we have to fight so hard for people to just be themselves. It’s insane.”

The Transgender Day of Remembrance shines a light on the serious and life-threatening effects bullying and abuse have on the trans-community. Many people who are ridiculed, bullied and abused end up turning to self-harm and suicide.

“It’s a day to just honor the fact that those who are still here are still standing,” Villeneuve said, “And we stand to be able to hopefully move the issues a little bit further.”

While Timmins does not have a Trans Support Group, there is one in Sudbury called TG Innerselves. It is striving to
become the foremost support group in Northern Ontario to assist those who are struggling with gender identity issues.

Those in Timmins who are looking for in-person support can reach out to Timmins Pride. 

Villeneuve left off with saying he finds it incredible that people are being treated so badly and unfairly, just for being themselves.

“It’s ridiculous that we have to fight for people’s right, especially in Canada, to be themselves. It’s just a little too much, all together.”

 

 

–With files from Timmins Today

 

Filed under: Local News