Celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility
St. Joe’s is proud to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility and to help raise awareness of discrimination faced by transgender and non-binary people.
Lisa Jeffs, Senior Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Consultant at St. Joe’s shares her reflections:
All my life, I felt like I didn’t fit as either a woman or a man. I’m in my 50s now, and it’s only been relatively recently that we have words like non-binary to help people like me describe what they know about themselves. At first, I was pretty shy about the whole thing, feeling like I didn’t quite belong in the trans community. Then a few years ago, I met a very kind and wise member of the trans community who handmade me a tapestry with the words “you are trans enough”. Those words hang in my office today as a reminder to me and to anyone else who needs some encouragement to live outside the gender binary.
In my role as Senior EDI Consultant, I’m proud to work at St Joe’s as a visible trans person. I’m an active member of the Trans Health Coalition, and the Greater Hamilton Health Network Positive Space Working Group - a sub-committee of their Health Equity Council.
Below are some resources that may help you learn more about how you can begin to support or continue to support Trans people. Happy Trans Day of Visibility!
- Hamilton Trans Health Coalition - for local to Hamilton information, events and resources
- Greater Hamilton Health Network—Statement on Gender-Affirming Care
- Rainbow Health Ontario—Guide to Managing Anti-Trans Harassment for Health Care Providers
- Trans Care BC Introduction to Gender Diversity - free on-line course
- Rainbow Health Ontario Training Website - low-cost on-line courses
Equity, diversity and inclusion is a priority at St. Joe’s. It’s also rooted in our values of Dignity, Respect, Justice and Responsibility and we must ensure that we live those values. We are committed to building an inclusive, equitable and fair healthcare system and community – for all. For more information about our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, click here.