Barrie honours Transgender Day of Visibility

Transgender Day of Visibility celebrated in Barrie, Ont., on Thursday, March 31, 2022 (Courtesy of Christian Kenehan)

A flag-raising ceremony was held in Barrie on Thursday in honour of Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV).

The flag-raising took place at City Hall and was organized by TransQ of Barrie.

Fierté Simcoe Pride has also organized a Speaker Series Event, which will be held over Zoom at 4:30 p.m. Christian Kenehan from Fierté Simcoe Pride says the Speaker Series Event gives a voice to Transgender people and educates Cisgender people.

The goal of TDOV is to amplify the voices of Transgender, Non-Binary, Two-Spirit and Gender Diverse people.

"Visibility for Transgender people can be a double-edged sword," says Kenehan. "Visibility is needed overall, but visibility can often be dangerous for Trans people."

Kenehan adds that Trans people are four times more likely to experience violence than Cis people. Additionally, one in four Transgender women believed the incident to be a hate crime, versus one in ten Cisgender women.

TransQ was created after running a program called 'Gender Journey's' six years ago, a course supporting those who are transitioning. Currently, the group contains 150 Transgender people, which Kenehan believes is the largest group in Ontario.

TransQ is planning on resuming in-person meetings at the Gilbert Centre. For more information about the organization or upcoming events, visit TransQ's Facebook page or Fierté Simcoe Pride's website.