2024 Transgender Day of Visibility
Reflection on the 2024 Transgender Day of Visibility
March 28, 2024
Transgender Day of Visibility, held annually on March 31, invites us to celebrate transgender and non-binary community members and recognize their many contributions to the society, including here at UBC.
We are proud to uplift transgender (trans) and non-binary community members at UBC and celebrate their strength, resilience and joy – all the more important in light of a continued trend of intensified, hate-filled anti-trans efforts aimed at disrupting progress made on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education, gender-affirming practices in schools, and access to gender-affirming car, and sports, spaces, services and shelters aligned with one’s gender.
Targeting of trans and non-binary communities is, however, not just limited to the political forums or policy domains. Even with consideration of being typically under-reported, police reported hate-crimes based on sexual orientation, sex and gender have all continued to increase, along with warnings of a threat of extreme violence.
Amidst these efforts to silence and make invisible, here, at UBC, we are working to provide a different environment – a safe and welcoming community for trans and non-binary students, faculty and staff.
We remain steadfast in our commitments to trans inclusion and are proud to recognize the many trans and non-binary community members coming together in mutual support, resistance, advocacy, joy – as well as struggle – in order to bring visibility and advocate for their rights and systemic changes. Trans and non-binary students, faculty and staff – we see you and we value you as vital members of the university.
Recognizing leadership of trans and non-binary community members
In the spirit of celebration, recognition and visibility, the following trans community groups and individuals are just some of the continued examples of changemakers working to enhance trans inclusion:
- UBC Trans Coalition: for their successful efforts to expand gender affirming care provided through the AMS and continued advocacy to improve the experiences of trans students at UBC, including through work with Student Health, Student Housing, and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice.
- UBC Trans Mentorship Program coordinators Al Huuskonen and Clio Lake: for their continued leadership on supporting trans community members at UBC through the Trans Mentorship Program. Created in 2020, the program has to date engaged 145 applicants or 71 mentor-mentee pairs, and the numbers continue to trend up. The program provides valuable support to trans community members navigating the university, including across academia, careers, and life.
- Trans community members at UBC: for sharing their perspectives and experiences as part of a community consultation to inform the development of UBC’s inclusive washroom guidelines. Report on the consultation and guidelines are forthcoming.
Our commitment and progress
Integrated into the Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism (StEAR) Roadmap for Change as strategic priorities, institutional efforts are underway to activate Trans, Two-spirit and Gender Diversity Task Force recommendations aimed at building more trans inclusive classrooms, workplaces, programs, community spaces, services, and information systems.
Responding to specific recommendations to support trans and non-binary students’ health, UBC’s Student Health has worked to enhance the capacity of staff, protocols and processes around the use of pronouns, acceptance, and with respect to internal resources and referral knowledge.
Broadly across the university, efforts have included the development of forthcoming inclusive washroom guidelines, addition of new family planning benefits, and expansion of gender marker options in the forthcoming release of Workday Student, UBC’s new student information system. In fall of 2023, as a result of a partnership with the Musqueam First Nation, UBC installed a Coast Salish Two-spirit Mosaic. The mosaic – designed by Mack Paul (xwməθkwəy̓əm) – is a symbol of Coast Salish Two-Spirit unity, dignity, respect and support for Two-Spirit/Indigenous LGBTQ+ programming and community members. It is also an acknowledgement of the land, identities and experiences of Two-Spirit ancestors and relatives. In support of 2SLGBTQIA+ specific programming, some $18,800 has been allocated to community-led initiatives through the StEAR Enhancement Fund during the inaugural fall 2023 to spring 2024 cycle.
Beyond administrative efforts, as a university, we have a unique opportunity to generate knowledge and evidence that counters assumptions and hostile rhetoric and seeks to inspire more informed perspectives, understandings and practices – and shape a more inclusive world. A number of academic and research initiatives continue to generate and mobilize knowledge related to trans and non-binary people’s experiences, including through the work of Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre, Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity, SOGI@UBC, and the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice.
Ways to engage
On this Trans Day of Visibility, UBC will again raise the Trans flag across our campuses as a symbol of our institutional commitments and values. I encourage all of our community members to visit UBC’s Trans Day of Visibility page to learn about ways to get involved through events and access learning and support resources.
Trans and non-binary people regularly report and have a higher risk of experiencing discrimination, harassment, and violence. They also experience a higher incidence of mental health issues, primarily a result of experiences they encounter while navigating a cis-normative culture that creates systemic barriers and contributes to regular violence (administrative, symbolic, and even physical).
We can all play a part in shifting these patterns by supporting inclusion of trans and non-binary people. Ensuring we use pronouns, chosen names and inclusive language, that we demonstrate respect, bring attention to systemic challenges that are reported to us, and further our learning through the Positive Space: Foundations course are steps all of us can start taking.
Additionally, the following resources are available:
- Students can access 2SLGTBQIA+ resources available through the Student Services website.
- Faculty members, instructors and teaching assistants can engage with resources to create more trans inclusive classrooms and learning spaces.
- Managers can familiarize themselves with UBC’s resources as to how best to support trans, two-spirit and non-binary (T2SNB) employees.
- T2SNB employees can access UBC’s T2SNB Employee Toolkit.
For more information on gender diversity, please visit UBC’s gender diversity knowledge hub.
Please note that while at UBC, you are entitled to learn, work and live in a discrimination-free, respectful environment. Your human rights at UBC are protected under UBC’s Policy SC7: Discrimination and the BC Human Rights Code. If, as a member of the T2SNB community, you have concerns related to your experiences at UBC, please contact our office at trans.inclusion@equity.ubc.ca for support.
Arig al Shaibah
Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion
Our priorities on trans inclusion
The following priorities have been identified in the Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism Roadmap. Priorities have been drawn from a range of institutional plans, including the Trans, Two-Spirit, and Gender Diversity Task Force report. Efforts across all priorities are in-progress.
- Develop educational resources on gender diversity and inclusion in the classroom
- Establish a protocol for name choice at every stage of the academic journey
- Develop a centralized TGNB information hub with wellness and inclusion resources
- Increase access to TGNB-competent mental health providers through increased benefits
- Explore opportunities to secure scholarships for TGNB students
- Identify supports for TGNB athletes
- Expand TGNB health and wellness initiatives (training practitioners, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and referral support)
Numbers and terms
Did you know?
- Based on the 2023 Employment Equity Report, some 1.72 per cent of UBC employees identify as trans, non-binary or both.
- Canada is the first country to provide census data on transgender and non-binary people.
- Canadian Census results show that some 0.33 per cent of Canadian population, 15 years and older, identify as trans (0.19 per cent) or non-binary (0.14 per cent).
- 58 per cent of T2SNB student, faculty and staff respondents to 2021 Gender Diversity Audit report a sense of belonging at UBC – compared to 79 per cent of their cisgender counterparts.
Learn the terms: Trans and non-binary
This expression refers to the diverse communities of people whose gender is different from the gender that they were assigned at birth. This phrase attempts to capture a shared experience with, and relationship to, gender, rather than specific identities; people may use many different words to describe their gender identity.
Days of Significance, Messages from the AVP, News and Stories |
Statement on the 2024 International Women’s Day
March 7, 2024
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) is Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress with a message that “gender equality is one of the most effective ways to build healthier, more prosperous, and more inclusive communities.”
IWD invites us to celebrate the progress made on gender equity and inclusion, but also to acknowledge the ever-present local and global forces acting against these goals. Today, let’s take time to recognize and appreciate the presence and accomplishments of cis and trans women – across ethnoracial identity, ability, and sexual orientation – who, in the face of persistent challenges, inspire us to sustain and build on efforts we have made towards achieving ever-more expansive gender-based equity and inclusion.
While Canada ranks relatively high on the global gender gap index, ranking 30th, the Canadian Women’s Foundation statistics on rates of sexual harassment and assault, gender-based and intimate partner violence, femicide, unemployment among women, women living in poverty, gendered impacts of social determinants of health, and underrepresentation of women in leadership reveal there is still much work to be done to inspire gender inclusion across the nation. This is particularly true for Black women who are “woefully underrepresented in leadership positions in North American businesses” and on corporate boards across eight Canadian cities (0.8 per cent are occupied by Black women directors).
At UBC, our recent employment equity survey data demonstrates increasing gaps in representation of women among senior-most leadership, among increasingly higher faculty ranks, and among professional and managerial staff. Conversely, women students are in the majority across all of UBC’s program types (from undergraduate to doctoral levels) – an important consideration as we strive to build a complement of faculty and staff that is proportionally reflective of our student body. Globally, women tend to slightly outnumber men as tertiary education students, yet in 2021 only 20 per cent of leaders of top 200 universities were women; in Canada, this number was 31 per cent.
Women continue to experience double standards with respect to explicit and implicit societal and workplace expectations. For example, studies on gender bias and perceptions of women leaders demonstrate that women who are considered “agreeable” will be supported as leaders, however, qualities associated with successful leaders generally are qualities that are not palatable when women display them! There are many other double standards that women must contend with.
All women are expected to be…
- Intelligent but not too clever…
- Assertive but not too bold…
- Decisive but not too strong-minded…
- Nurturing but not too emotional…
- Elegant but not too attractive…
Racialized women are expected to be…
- Interested but not too ambitious…
- Vocal but not too loud…
- Confident but not too powerful…
All of these expectations, of course, are based on perceptions and projections shaped by a culture that both obscurely and obviously reinforces sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia.
To address these gaps and persistent biases – and action commitments to gender equity – the university continues to invest in various initiatives such as: enhanced assessment of employment equity, inclusive hiring education and initiatives to improve representation, recognition efforts, awards and scholarships, building communities for women, academic and research endeavours, and various programs aimed at increasing inclusion of women in STEM (UBC Science, Computer Science @ UBC Okanagan, and UBC Engineering). Many of these efforts also align with UBC’s involvement in supporting progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including SDG 5: Gender Equality.
On this International Women’s Day, we should celebrate and recommit our efforts to advance gender equity and inclusion not only as matter of individual educational and employment rights but also as a matter of institutional vitality and viability. As agents of change, universities are well positioned to explore and demonstrate promising practices and serve as beacons for change in the wider world.
What you can do
- Visit UBC’s International Women’s Day web page to learn more about contributions of women at UBC, events, engagement opportunities and resources
- Complete UBC’s Hiring Equity course
- Start or join an EDI committee
- Assess employment equity data for your area of work and get in touch to explore ways to address any gaps
- Bring awareness to International Women’s Day and contributions of women (see digital toolkit from Government of Canada)
Learn more
- International Women’s Day, United Nations
- International Women’s Day, UNESCO
- How to take action against gender inequality and discrimination, University Affairs, June 30, 2023
- Women in Canadian History Timeline, Women and Gender Equality Canada
- Policy brief: Representation of women in academia and higher education management position, UNESCO, March 8, 2023
- Empowering women in the workplace: Empowerment Index, PwC, 2023
- Want to improve gender equality in universities? Start by closing the policy gap: Report, The World Economic Forum, March 8, 2022
- Women in higher education: has the female advantage put an end to gender inequalities?, UNESCO, March 8, 2021
- The struggle for gender equity in university leadership, University Affairs, October 27, 2020
UBC’s Ladner Clock Tower, University Commons illuminated to mark Black History Month
February 29, 2024
February is Black History Month – a time to intentionally dedicate space to elevate and celebrate Black history and excellence.
To raise visibility of and recognize Black History Month, the Ladner Clock Tower and University Commons outside the AMS Nest were lit up in red, yellow and green.
As we reach the end of February, take a moment to reflect on the many historical and contemporary contributions of Black Canadians, Black British Columbians and Black students, faculty and staff at UBC. Illuminating the clock tower was just one of many ways that Black History Month was celebrated at UBC. Check out the Black History Month page on the UBC events calendar to find resources for support and UBC community groups to join.
The initiative to illuminate public spaces for Black History Month proceeded with endorsement from the UBC Black Student Union. The selected colours represent Pan-Africanism, and the presence of one or more of these colours in the flags of African and Caribbean countries.
The use of the Ladner Clock Tower and the University Commons lights reflects an understanding that public spaces play an important role as sites for expression and community building, and to further socialize UBC’s commitments to equity, diversity and inclusion.
Celebrating Pink Shirt Day: Promoting acts of courage
February 28, 2024
The following remarks were delivered at the annual Vice-President, Finance and Operations Pink Shirt Day event held on February 28, 2024.
Good morning, everyone.
My name is Arig al Shaibah (she/her), and I oversee the Equity & Inclusion Office with team members on both Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.
I am grateful for the generosity of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) and Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples on whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territories we have the privilege to live and work.
Thank you for inviting me to make remarks on this national Pink Shirt Day, which gives us an opportunity to pause to reinforce our value for inclusion and our commitment to preventing and addressing bullying and harassment in our communities and our workplaces.
There are many types of bullying and harassment – physical, verbal, sexual, social, and cyber bullying or harassment.
All of these forms contravene UBC’s Respectful Environment Statement, and some may contravene our Discrimination Policy if the behaviour denies opportunities to or unfairly treats individuals or groups on the basis of one or more protected characteristic, such as race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, and political belief for example.
Bullying and harassment create a hostile or intimidating environment.
We all have a responsibility to check our own behaviour, and we are invited to seek out help or consult if we are experiencing or have witnessed this kind of behaviour.
However, I do want to take a moment to talk about the role of leaders in modeling and fostering respectful behaviour.
This year’s theme is Acts of Courage.
According to a study conducted by Deloitte – a consulting firm – courage is one of six core qualities of inclusive leadership.
If we are to succeed in preventing and addressing bullying and harassment at UBC, these six qualities are so important to cultivate in all of us, and especially in leaders:
- The first quality is Commitment – a commitment to inclusion because it aligns with our personal values and because we know inclusion enriches our community and organizational health and success;
- The second is Curiosity, that comes with empathy an openness to different and divergent perspectives;
- The third is Cognizance, or awareness of personal biases so that we can ensure we are making fair, transparent, consistent, and equitable decisions;
- The fourth is Cultural Intelligence, which grows with a drive to learn about different cultures and to become more capable of engaging across diverse communities;
- The fifth is Collaboration, to empower others so that they feel comfortable to use their voice and contribute in teams; and
- The sixth is Courage – the courage to speak up and challenge the status quo and to have the humility to acknowledge the limitations of our own experiences, knowledge, or skills.
A respectful climate requires all individuals to develop these inclusive qualities and to regulate their behaviour but, more importantly, it requires leaders to work hard to shift the culture by disincentivizing bullying and harassing as well as discriminatory behaviour.
These are difficult and emotionally fraught times, when individual behaviours and organizational culture profoundly matter to student, faculty, and staff success as well as to the university’s vibrancy and vitality.
Courage invites us contribute to “brave spaces” – to foster constructive engagement and dialogue across difference.
I know that during these times we can feel at a loss for whether and how to respond, and I want to reinforce that we will always do better in these situations if we focus on the six qualities I mentioned, and if we insist on showing care and compassion for each other.
I hope today serves to strengthen our collective efforts to create the kind of respectful, inclusive, safe and brave campus environment we all deserve.
Thank you!
Arig al Shabiah, (she/her)
Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion
Messages from the AVP, News and Stories, Remarks by the AVP |
Kara Ellison
February 5, 2024
Human Rights Advisor
Campus: UBC Okanagan
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Bio
Kara provides impartial human rights advice and information to all members of the UBC community.
Prior to joining the EIO, Kara was a litigator in private practice, practicing primarily in the areas of employment, human rights, and labour law. She obtained her J.D. from the University of Victoria, and obtained her Bachelor of Business Administration from Thompson Rivers University.
Kara’s education and experience has given her a thorough understanding of human rights law and policy. In applying this knowledge to her role with the UBC Equity & Inclusion Office, Kara strives to bring a balance of compassion, creativity, and practicality to her work. Kara hopes to foster a more equitable and inclusive society by improving access to, and understanding of, legal rights and obligations.
Email: kara.ellison@ubc.ca
Address:
Admin 100C
1138 Alumni Avenue
Kelowna, BC
V1V 1V7
National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia
January 29, 2024
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