At UBC, we are committed to building a more inclusive campus community. As part of efforts to advance these commitments, a Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diversity task force will provide strategic direction to UBC’s senior leadership in the area of gender identity, gender expression and human rights.
Over the last year, faculty, staff, students and alumni have challenged UBC’s commitment to its trans, Two-Spirit and gender diverse community members due to external events held on the Vancouver campus. These recent developments highlight the pressing need for action in the area of gender identity, gender expression and human rights, particularly in light of the commitment to inclusion in UBC’s Strategic Plan and the addition of gender identity and gender expression to the BC Human Rights Code. A Trans, Two-Spirit and Gender Diversity Task Force is needed to provide strategic direction to UBC’s senior leadership and to make recommendations to create a more inclusive campus for trans, Two-Spirit and gender diverse faculty, staff, and students.
The mandate of the task force is to:
- Detail the primary areas for attention and improvement to address inequities that directly impact members of trans, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse communities.
- Develop a set of actionable recommendations to address gaps in systems, policies, procedures, and practices that address the human rights concerns of trans, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse members of the UBC community.
The task force expands on the scope and resourcing of the former Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diversity Working Group of the Vice Presidents Strategic Implementation Committee on Equity & Diversity (VPSICED), and will, in its first year, create a Terms of Reference and examine climate and culture, including, but not limited to:
- Climate and safety
- Education and cultural competency training needs
- Information systems, records, and documents
- Student services, including health and counselling services
- Athletics and recreation
- Information systems
UBC’s Inclusion Action Plan (IAP) provides a framework that will guide the Task Force’s actionable recommendations.
The task force will be comprised of 15-20 faculty, staff, and student members, with representation from both campuses. Applications are open until Sunday, February 9, 2020.
The task force welcomes applications from students, staff and faculty at both UBC-V and UBC-O who have lived experience as members of trans, Two-Spirit and gender diverse communities, and/or significant academic or community expertise related to gender identity/expression, marginality and human rights. Self-determination for trans, Two-Spirit and gender diverse faculty, staff, and students is a foundational principle for equity, diversity, and inclusion work, and helps build sound governance and institutional capacity. To ensure a diversity of voices, experience, and expertise, we especially encourage applications from students, staff, and faculty who belong to groups often overlooked for leadership opportunities and underrepresented in governance, such as Indigenous people, racialized people, and people with disabilities.
The Task Force is co-chaired by Dr. Janice Stewart and Dr. Sara-Jane Finlay, and supported by Associate Chairs.
Dr. Hélène Frohard-Dourlent provides strategic expertise and operational support to the task force in a staff capacity and can be contacted at helene.fd@ubc.ca for any inquiries or suggestions related to the work of the task force.
The task force is charged with developing a set of actionable recommendations for the Provosts, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Vice President, Student and Vice President, Human Resources (through the VPSICED) to address gaps in systems, policies, procedures and practices to address the human rights concerns of trans, Two-Spirit and gender diverse members of the UBC community, so as to create more inclusive environments for trans, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people on UBC campuses.
To ensure accountability over time, the Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diversity Task Force may continue beyond its first year to provide further direction and oversight to UBC regarding ongoing work of creating more inclusive environments for trans, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people on UBC campuses.
The task force will produce quarterly reports to the Vice-Presidents and regular updates to VPSICED. Meeting minutes and task force reports will be shared on this page for public record and transparency.
The task force will be operational for one year beginning February 2020, and will meet on a monthly basis. The first meeting is tentatively set for Wednesday, March 4th from 1:30pm to 3pm.
Other meeting dates will be scheduled once all task force members have been confirmed.
Applications are now closed. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Hélène Frohard-Dourlent at helene.fd@ubc.ca.