QUEEN’S PARK – MPP Terence Kernaghan released the following statement as the Ontario Legislature marked Trans Day of Remembrance.
“Today we memorialize members of the Trans community who have been murdered and who have died by suicide as a result of transphobia and anti-trans violence. Today is a sombre day and we pay our deepest respects.
By proclaiming Nov. 20 each year as the Trans Day of Remembrance, the Province of Ontario publicly mourns and honours the lives of those who might otherwise be forgotten, and gives Trans people and their allies a chance to stand together in vigil.
At Queen’s Park, we have worked alongside the Trans community. Together, we’ve banned conversion therapy and enshrined gender identity and gender expression protections into the Human Rights Code. We’ve worked together to enshrine this day on which we raise the Trans flag and observe a moment of silence. We know that there is much more to do.
Today, and every day we say to the Trans community: we are with you, we value you, you belong in Ontario. You matter, and your stories matter.”