Solidarity Includes Everyone: Supporting Transgender People in your Union - Virtual

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Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2023
Time: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Location: Virtual via Zoom
 
This is an awareness-raising full day workshop on the challenges facing trans workers in communities, workplaces, and unions. We will explore how unions can work to end discrimination and how to support our trans members. This workshop includes an overview of appropriate terminology, existing legal protections, and what we as union activists can do to make sure our workplaces and our unions are as inclusive as possible of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming folks.
 
The workshop covers:

  • Vocabulary - who are trans people and how do we talk about them respectfully? Words to use, words not to use, and invasive questions.
  • Barriers trans people face in the workplace and in the world.
  • Existing legal protection for trans workers, patients, and clients.
  • Videos illustrating some of these barriers in the workplace, and in health care and social services settings.
  • Human rights obligations of the union, and in the workplace.
  • Equity vs equality.
  • What activists can do to make our workplaces and our unions more inclusive to LGBT folks.

This workshop is open to all HSA members.

Facilitator’s Biography:

Adrienne Smith is a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer. They recently argued a BC human rights case which clarified employers’ obligations to recognize correct pronouns for transgender and non-binary workers. Adrienne appeared at the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada where they argued about the deleterious effects of mandatory minimum sentences for women, Indigenous people, and drug users. As a trade union activist, they advocate for transgender inclusion in our unions and workplaces. Adrienne is the litigation director at the Catherine White Holman Wellness Clinic where they give free legal advice, take on human rights cases, and notarize name and gender change documents for trans people.

Participants will receive wage replacement, and pre-approved dependent care costs for virtual workshops in accordance with HSA Policy. No meal per diems will be provided.

To register for this workshop log into My Events Registration using the prompts provided. Workshops are listed under Steward Education events. Please select ‘create a login’ through the Event Registration and click on the ‘here’ to receive your member ID by email or call the HSA office at 604.517.0994 or 1.800.663.2017 if you do not know your HSA member ID number.

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