Statement for Transgender Day of Remembrance

This Transgender Day of Remembrance we honour the lives lost and harmed by transphobia. We bring attention to the violence that continues to threaten transgender and gender diverse lives.

Most recently, we mourn the loss of a 30-year-old Black transgender woman who died and was misgendered in police custody in Ontario this month.

We must all work to end violence and transphobia.

Being Safe, Being Me

Violence can greatly influence young people’s health, and trans and non-binary youth are at an increased risk of being targeted by violence. In 2014 and 2019, we conducted the Canadian Trans and Non-binary Youth Health Survey to help understand the health of trans and non-binary youth in Canada. Many youth who took this survey reported feeling unsafe at home (25%) and at school (36%).

Our survey also asked youth if they had ever avoided 19 locations or situations for fear of being harassed, being seen as trans, or being outed. The most commonly avoided location was public gendered washrooms (74%), and this held true across all provinces and territories. Youth also identified gyms or pools (66%), school washrooms (55%), and school locker rooms (55%) as places most often avoided.

Furthermore, the majority of trans and non-binary youth (70%) reported experiencing some form of discrimination in their lifetime. Youth were most likely to report they had experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation (51%), their sex (53%), their physical appearance (45%), or their age (36%).

We Have Some Work To Do

Trans and non-binary youth have the right to feel safe, access inclusive public washrooms and spaces, and live without discrimination. Laws, policies, and public awareness need to do better. We offer some further recommendations in the Being Safe, Being Me report, which is available in both English and French.

Moving forward, please take time to educate yourself about trans and gender diverse inequities and to promote their voices.