November 20th is the Transgender Day of Remembrance – a day to remember those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia.
Today we remember the friends, family and neighbours who have been taken from their communities and we recommit to working together to make our province a place where transgender people are safe, loved and celebrated. For too long, our province fell behind when it comes to supporting people who are transgender, non-binary and gender diverse.
We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to live in safe, supportive communities.
I’m proud to say that your government stands with trans people in our province. We’ve taken action to make sure people are able to be who they truly are, like reinstating the B.C. Human Rights Commission, promoting sexual orientation and gender identity awareness in schools, giving people a non-binary gender option on government identification and improving access to gender-affirming surgeries in B.C.
We still have a long way to go. At a time when the human rights of transgender people are under attack, it is more important than ever that we stand up in the fight for safety, inclusion and justice for trans people in our province.
We will not let the memories of our trans friends, family and neighbours be lost to violence. We will not be silent in the face of injustice. We will stand up against the erasure of trans people and trans identities in our culture and our history.
Together, we remember and pledge to do better.