[This page is a sample of past events and is not intended to be comprehensive.]
March 2025
Trans Day of Visibility 2025
Two days and two ways to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility. The day before, visit the Ottawa Trans Library for the Trans Day of Snacks. Sunday, March 30th from 1 to 4 pm. Next day, for a more activist version, visit Confederation Park (Elgin Street) March 31st at 5:30 pm.
Two lectures March 2025
Lecture March 19th: Building Disability and Trans Justice Amid Rising Authoritarianism
The Research Center on Social Innovation and Transformation (CRITS) is pleased to announce that A.J. Withers from Simon Fraser University will present a lecture entitled Meeting this Moment: Building Disability and Trans Justice Amid Rising Authoritarianism on March 19, 2025, at 6:00 pm.
This in-person event will be moderated by Krys Maki (School of Social Innovation, Saint Paul University) and will take place at the Atelier d’innovation sociale Mauril-Bélanger, 95 Clegg Street, Ottawa. It is free, open to the public, and no registration is required.
The Atelier has a barrier-free entry with an automatic front door. The space is all on one level, except for a very small lip to get onto the wood floor in the lounge area. There is one accessible washroom, and both washrooms are gender-neutral. There is dim lighting throughout the space. We are also a scent-free space. The Atelier is an inclusive space that welcomes folx of all gender and sexuality identities. There is one designated parking space for a car with an accessible parking permit (van accessible) at the Atelier’s main entrance.
The 2025 Marston LaFrance Lecture took place Thursday, March 13, 2025 from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm at 
2017, Dunton Tower, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive.
In her talk, Unlikely Allies: Middle Aged Photographers and the Trans Camera, Carleton University History Professor Jennifer Evans will discuss the parallel lives of two Jewish middle-aged women photographers, one in Italy, the other in Brazil, and the role of their photographs of the Genoa and São Paulo trans scenes for the way they presaged the visibility politics of the gay, lesbian, and feminist social movements of the 1970s and 80s. Lisetta Carmi and Madalena Schwartz, refugees who fled the Nazis in the 1930s before working their way into photography late in life, built relationships of intimacy and trust with the trans sex workers and performers they photographed in Italy and Brazil.
November 2024
Transgender Day of Remembrance November 20th
Thank you to Kim of Centre 33, Cindy of the Kanata United Church and Marion of West Side Pride for the warm welcome and sympathetic ceremony commemorating Transgender Day of Remembrance. Thank you also to the wonderful folks who came on a cool, cloudy November day to honour the trans people who had lost their lives to violence in the last year. It was a pleasure meeting many of you afterwards.
Ottawa’s celebrated queer choir Tone Cluster has the remedy if you’re feeling blue after Wednesday’s events. On Saturday, November 23rd at the Carleton Dominion Chalmers Centre they will be presenting I Will Sing and Be Brave, a concert and community dinner recognizing Transgender Day of Remembrance. The concert begins at 5:30, dinner is at 6:30. This is a pay-what-you-can event.
August 2024
The Trans March takes place at 6 pm at the corner of Bank and Gladstone, and from there it will wend its way through Centretown. See you there!
May 2024 – Ottawa rally for Rainbow Equality
On May 17 at 5:30PM at Confederation Park, Capital Pride organized a Rally for Rainbow Equality as part of the Society of Queer Momentum’s Rainbow Week of Action from May 11th to 17th 2024. The week of action featured rallies and other events across Canada – www.rainbowequality.ca
Ottawa March for Trans Rights
August 2023 – Congratulations to Taryn Husband and “an unofficial group of Trans and Gender Diverse folks living in 
Ottawa” for organizing the hugely successful Ottawa March for Trans Rights Friday, August 25th. I had the honour of delivering a speech alongside Taryn, Sharp Dopler, Jade Peek, Lionel Lehouillier, Celeste Trianon, and Fae Johnstone. The stars of the show, however, were the people who showed up in large numbers. An impressive display of Trans Power!
Narthaki Nataraj at the Ottawa Trans Library
The library hosted a meet and greet Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 6 pm with celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer Narthaki Nataraj from Tamil Nadu, India. Narthaki identified as trans at age 10 and overcame numerous barriers to achieve her high standing in the world of arts and literature. We are grateful to Narthaki for providing us with this unique international cultural exchange. Narthaki also appeared at the Samanvaya Festival of Togetherness at the Canadian Museum of History May 26th.
Gender Mosaic reunion/celebration held April 15, 2023
The Ottawa Trans Library was pleased to host a long overdue celebration of Gender Mosaic. Founded in 1988, GM served the Ottawa trans community for over 30 years and was one of the longest running trans organizations in Canada.
Its history is the history of trans people in microcosm. It began when transphobia was the sea we swam in and having a trans 
support group was our lifeboat. As Gender Mosaic grew, its members threw themselves into education and outreach, culminating in later years with lobbying for the passage of Bill C-16. Perhaps most importantly, we also made friends for life.
This was our organization, and it’s time we celebrated what we did and the people with whom we did it. It’s people that made GM the dynamic organization it was for so long, and we enjoyed seeing old friends and supporters again.
Losers
The two anti-trans candidates running for school trustee positions in Ottawa were soundly trounced in the election October 24, 2022.
In Zone 6, incumbent Lyra Evans, an experienced and committed trustee, received over 54% of the vote. Shannon Boschy, whose signs blared “Education not Indoctrination”, received just over 9%. The result is especially gratifying as Ms Evans is trans.
Meanwhile in Zone 8, Donna Dickson, another advocate for all kids, obtained over 55% of the vote while anti-trans candidate Chanel Pfahl had just over 18%. Of the three candidates running in Zone 8, Pfahl ended up in third place.
As the CBC reported, many anti-trans candidates were funded by groups that cloak themselves in righteousness, but are in fact some of the most divisive in our society: Christian fundamentalists and the American far right, which can’t keep its nose out of other people’s business.
We have caring teachers, trustees and education professionals in this province who are doing their best to ensure all youth have access to a good education. The idea that they are “indoctrinating” kids to a gender ideology is ludicrous.
[Although not all election results have been reported, here’s a link to the October 25th CBC article stating that anti-trans candidates failed to make “major gains”.]
School Board Trustee Election
September 2022 – Municipal election day in Ottawa is Monday, October 24, and there are two anti-trans candidates running for a trustee position with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. One of them, Shannon Boschy, is running in Zone 6 against Lyra Evans, the only trans school trustee in Canada.
Evans has an exemplary track record of advocating for inclusive education, not just for trans kids but for children from lower income neighbourhoods. Some of the committees she’s worked on include Budget, Special Education, and Environmental Education.
Meanwhile, Boschy has allied himself with Chris Elston, a prominent Canadian anti-trans activist, and joined him in a demonstration outside Broadview Public School in October 2021. Boschy also appeared with Elston during the truck blockades that terrorized the residents of downtown Ottawa in February.
There is not much to his platform beyond being against “trans ideology”, although in the September edition of the community newspaper The Manor Park Chronicle, he’s added “Protecting parental rights and relationships with their children as primary cultural and moral guides”, which is code for much the same thing.
The anti-trans folks run with some nice company, don’t they? It would be a dark day in this city if a committed and experienced school board trustee like Ms. Evans lost to a trucker convoy candidate.
The second candidate is Chanel Pfahl, a former secondary school teacher running in District 8. According to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, Pfahl “repeatedly posts and retweets anti-trans statements, fear-mongering about “Critical Race Theory,” and far-right media figures on her Twitter account.” More people you’d rather not invite to dinner. Pfahl is running against Donna Dickson, who is advocating for increased funding for mental health programs and promoting free breakfast programs, and Shannon Kramer who “will advocate for an environment where all types of students are encouraged to succeed.”
Well, I certainly know who I wouldn’t vote for!
I’m old enough to remember when it was taken for granted that gays and lesbians should never, ever, be teachers. Heterosexuality was apparently such a fragile sexual orientation that children could be taught to adopt a “homosexual lifestyle” whose great attraction at the time was social persecution. People don’t change much. Now it’s “gender ideology” that’s the great threat to “our” children. It can be tiring waiting for the human race to evolve, but I am consoled by the many people I’ve met who see the haters’ smokescreen for what it is.
Ottawa Trans Library opens May 2022
May 29, 2022 marked the opening of the Ottawa Trans Library. Not much library work got done, but those present had a good time!
Strands for Trans
April 2022 – I was leaving my friend’s hair salon recently when she showed me the sticker she’d applied to her front door. It was the iconic barber pole image with the usual blue, red and white stripes replaced with pink, blue and white. It’s part of a campaign by Strands for Trans to signify hair salons and barbershops that are trans friendly.
One would think hair salons would be the businesses most accepting of trans people, but I know how long I searched before I found one that made me feel comfortable. As the Strands for Trans website says, “Haircuts are historically gendered: Salons for women. Barbershops for men. This leaves the trans community feeling uncomfortable, unwelcome and unsure.” What a great initiative! Tell your salon or barbershop to join up at Strands for Trans.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 2021 – There was a good blog post on the Ottawa Public Library site that explained the significance and importance of November 20th to those who may not know: OPL Trans Day of Remembrance.
National LGBTQ2+ monument
November 2021 – Canadian Heritage, the government department whose mandate covers culture, heritage and diversity, the National Capital Commission and the LGBT Purge Fund will be erecting a monument to LGBTQ2+ people along the Ottawa River. It is a national monument that aims to tell the story of LGBTQ2+ Canadians who were “persecuted, abused, dismissed, and marginalized” because of who they were.
Showdown on Broadview Avenue
October 2021 – A large and diverse group of counter-protesters, including students, parents and politicians showed up October 19th to register their displeasure with anti-trans crusader Chris Elston, who was picketing the two schools on Broadview Avenue.
Safer Cities for Trans Folks
September 2021 – From the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) newsletter: “On 22nd September the event “Safer cities for Trans Folks” was organized by CCGSD, KIND Space Ottawa, Wisdom 2 Action, Horizon Ottawa, OCTEVAW [Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women], and the Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa. Panellists explored the question, “What role can our municipalities play in helping to prevent, challenge and address anti-trans violence? Watch the full recording here.
Trans, gender diverse, and 2SLGBTQ+ communities are subjected to significant violence in Ottawa and across Canada. Despite progress on 2SLGBTQ+ rights, the everyday realities of many in our communities are largely unchanged. See our joint call to action for a safer Ottawa for trans and 2SLGBTQ+ people here [Instagram].”
“We Still Demand” is on the Street
August 2021 – Someone has been plastering downtown Ottawa with posters. Cheers to the perpetrators, whomever they may be! We Still Demand
Trans at the Ottawa Public Library
May 2021 – An informative blog about transgender issues and people on the web site of the Ottawa Public Library
Trans Health Care During the Pandemic
March 2021 – Here’s a link to a piece in the Ottawa Citizen on trans health care in Ottawa. It reports that the “wait time to receive transgender primary care, which starts the medical process, has surpassed nine months, beating the pre-pandemic wait time of six months at Centretown Community Health Centre.” Gender councillor Marie Robertson said that she’s observed, “increased anxiety and depression in regards to how wait times impact individuals.”
The Roaming Ratchet
October 2020 – Great story on the CBC Ottawa site about non-binary mechanic Kai Dean of Merrickville. Dean has a mobile auto maintenance business called The Roaming Ratchet. They were responding to the sometimes negative experiences LGBT folks receive from auto garage shops. Good call. The business has been a great success so far.
Trans-Fest 2020
Ottawa’s first ever festival for trans, two-spirit and gender-diverse individuals took place virtually August 21 to August 28, 2020.
For more on Trans-Fest 2020, see: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/by-us-and-for-us-ottawas-first-ever-trans-festival-is-ready-for-launch
On March 7, 2020 I had an opportunity to test drive the early version of the Transgender Media Portal, a site which one day will be a public online database of films and other audiovisual works created solely by trans, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, intersex, and Two Spirit artists. More…
Book Signing: Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family
August 2019 – Neither Chapters Rideau nor Amanda Jetté Knox seemed prepared for the crowd that greeted her for the August 21st Q & A and signing of her book Love Lives Here: A Story of Thriving in a Transgender Family. The 50 or so chairs were full well before the 7 o’clock start time with at least another 50 people standing by the time the event began.
Perhaps they should not have been so surprised. That week Love Lives Here was sitting in the no. 1 position on the Globe and Mail’s Canadian non-fiction best seller list. While interest in trans lives has arguably never been higher, perhaps more noteworthy was the supportive atmosphere that evening.
The MC was Jill Holroyd, who currently heads the Renfrew County Pflag. (If you’ve never been to a Pflag event, I recommend it. You won’t meet a nicer bunch of people.) Ms. Holroyd asked Ms. Jetté Knox a number of questions before turning it over to the audience. There were, of course, a fair number of trans people in attendance, but I was impressed with the questions from the cisgender folks attending. Here was a question from a teacher asking what things she could do to make trans kids lives easier; and a comment from Kim, a little girl who said she watched My Name is Jazz with her mom and was glad that people weren’t as mean to trans kids as they used to be; or the sensitive admission from a white cisgender male that he feels the sand shifting under his feet.
The evening was greatly enhanced by the presence of Ms. Jetté Knox’s entire family. They too answered some questions from the audience, but it was their warmth and evident love for one another that had the crowd clapping in appreciation. Amanda Jetté Knox also graciously acknowledged the work of the trans community in making trans lives better, that without our activism she wouldn’t have been able to write the book she had.
The book signing followed the Q & A session. Having been one of the standees, I was about ready for a drink at this point so never got my book signed. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable evening for all present. Thanks to Amanda Jetté Knox and her family.
Odawa Two-Spirit, Trans, and Gender Diverse March
August 2019 – A drenching rain before the event and a persistent drizzle throughout could not keep about 160 people from attending the Odawa Two-Spirit, Trans, and Gender Diverse March on Saturday, August 17. Signs and buttons were available for participants and a 30 foot trans flag was rolled out. The opening speeches at Confederation Park recognized “the pride, the resilience, and the strength of the Two-Spirit, trans, and gender diverse community”.
The march then moved to the Human Rights Monument where a mourning vigil was held for North American black, indigenous and other trans 
women of colour who have lost their lives to transphobia. As the names of each woman was called out, a symbolic red high heel was placed at the foot of the monument. From there it was on to Parliament Hill for a call to action and afterwards an opportunity to meet and mix with the community with a pot luck at Jack Purcell Community Centre.
Congratulations to Fae Johnstone, Jade Byard Peek and other organizers and volunteers who contributed to making the march a success.
July 2019 – I was sitting at the open window of Atomic Rooster recently waiting for my friend to show up for lunch. It was a beautiful day and I was sipping my beer watching the pedestrian traffic on Bank Street when I became aware of a woman walking her bicycle along the sidewalk. As she drew near, I realized she was a trans woman! When she saw me, she smiled, and we exchanged a shy hello before she went on her way….
A few vignettes and observations about living in Ottawa as a visible trans woman.
Trans Health System Design Workshop
March 2019 – On Saturday, March 9, 2019 about 18 participants gathered at the 25One Community space , 251 Bank Street to talk about their experiences accessing transition-related health care in the Champlain region. The purpose of the workshop was to design a better system for accessing hormones and surgeries locally. It was a stimulating discussion that ran overtime and confirmed what I always knew: there’s a lot of brainpower in the trans community. We can accomplish anything if we put our minds together
Thanks to Taryn Husband and Natalie Duchesne for organizing.
Book launch: Soar, Adam, Soar
Feb. 2019 – The launch of Soar, Adam, Soar, Rick Prashaw’s book about his young trans man son, was held February 7, 2019 at the Canadian Museum of Nature. The mood that pervaded the room that evening was very positive. This was due both to Rick himself, a man who exudes warmth and wears his compassion on his sleeve, and his son Adam, who in his short life brought together a number of diverse communities.
The MC for the evening was Rita Celli from CBC Radio One who related how she came to know Rick through his act of generosity when they both lived in Sudbury. Besides readings from the book, there were moving speeches from Joel Frappier, Adam’s boss at Gourmet Cuisine and the caterer at the museum’s Nature Cafe, and Tina Proulx, co-chair of the Ottawa branch of the Gift of Life Network. (It was mentioned, and worth repeating, that of the 170 communities surveyed in Ontario, Ottawa ranks 118 in organ donation registration. We can do better than that! See links below.)
When Rick signed my copy of the book, he also wrote wrote, “Human rights for all”. That message also spoke to the feeling in the room that evening.
It was a wonderful event. What I know of Adam, I think he would have been pleased.
https://www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/
Book launch: Gender: Your Guide
Dec. 2018 – On the evening of December 5th, with wet snow falling outside, about 25 diverse people snuggled into a room at the 25ONE Community working space on Bank Street for the book launch of Gender: Your Guide, by Dr. Lee Airton.
It was an interesting evening. Dr. Airton is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. Gender: Your Guide is a natural extension of their teaching, research and advocacy work in encouraging individuals and institutions to be open to gender and sexual diversity. In their opening remarks, Dr. Airton said this book is for now, this historical moment when there is an increased awareness that gender is everywhere. They noted that ten years ago people were asking why we have to make accommodations for gender, while now the discussion is how do we do this? Welcome progress. The book is a “primer on what to know, what to say, and what to do in the new gender culture.”
Dr. Airton read four passages that provided some insight into what the book is about. Among them was their own tale as a child needing – not wanting but needing – a pair of Doc Martin shoes. It was an interesting personal illustration of how kids navigate their experience of gender. Equally interesting was their sister’s encounter with infertility and how something like not having a baby by her late 30s set her outside a “normal” gender category.
A question and answer discussion followed, with an informal book signing afterwards. Gender: Your Guide is currently available only in hard cover, but a paperback edition is expected. The event was a collaborative presentation of Octopus Books, Simon & Schuster Canada and the Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity.
I’ll upload a full review as soon as I’ve read it.
Dr. Airton’s gender pronoun web sites are No Big Deal, a campaign fostering the use of correct pronouns (https://www.nbdcampaign.ca/) and TIMP, They Is My Pronoun: http://theyismypronoun.com/ Their personal site is at https://www.leeairton.com/
Lyra Evans elected Ottawa-Carleton School Board trustee
Oct. 2018 – Congratulations to Lyra Evans who on October 22nd was elected Ottawa-Carleton School Board trustee for Zone 9 (Rideau-Vanier/Capital). As an open trans woman who has 
experienced homelessness, Ms. Evans will be a powerful voice for students who for whatever reason are marginalized within the school system. Prior to winning a seat on the Board, Lyra was a community organizer, an activist for the LGBTQ community, and an NDP candidate in Ottawa-Vanier in the recent Ontario provincial election. She placed a respectable second in the heavily Liberal riding, garnering almost 30% of the vote. In her campaign for trustee, Ms. Evans opposed the Ford government reverting to the 1998 sex education curriculum and halting revisions designed to incorporate findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Remembering Adam: the short, inspirational life of Adam Prashaw
Oct. 2018 – Whose bench is this underneath a canopy of leaves along a short winding brick pathway in St. Luke’s Park in downtown Ottawa? The name on the small metal plate reads Adam Prashaw, and there is an invitation too: “Sit down. Relax. Enjoy”. More
Oct. 2018 – Trans Outaouais celebrated their fifth anniversary on September 7th with a pot luck at their usual meeting place, Cap Santé Outaouais in Gatineau. Recently I met founder and coordinator Ève Jutras for an interesting and wide ranging discussion on the group and other trans issues. More
Amanda Ryan and Joanne Law honoured by the Village Legacy Project
Cheers to Amanda Ryan and Joanne Law for their inclusion in the Village Legacy Project Community Heroes Portrait Gallery.
Take a tour through Ottawa’s Queer Village on Bank Street from James Street north to Nepean Street and take in the wonderful portraits by Glenn Crawford. These are colourful, hanging banners with the images of “43 icons, activists, rebels and heroes who, among many others, helped build Ottawa’s queer community from the ground up from the very beginning of the liberation movement on.”
This is a wonderful honour for Amanda and Joanne. Amanda’s portrait is on the east side of Bank at Cooper Street while Joanne is at Maclaren Street, also on the east side. Their portraits are gorgeous! Congratulations!
For more on the Village Legacy Project see http://www.villagelegacy.ca/
October 2018
Thank you Zelda! Celebrating 10 years of good company and good eating.
Oct. 2018 – This year marks the 10th anniversary that Zelda Marshall has organized dinners on behalf of Gender Mosaic. Her efforts have allowed trans people and their supporters to experience a wide range of pubs and restaurants across the city. A toast to the lady who’s delivered fine cuisine, good company, and increased trans visibility! More
No Gender Mosaic at 2018 Pride Parade
June 2018 – For the second year in a row, Gender Mosaic as an organization will not be participating in the Capital Pride Parade, although individual members are welcome to participate. In 2017, organizers of Capital Pride requested off duty police not wear their uniforms at Pride, suggesting that many in the queer community did not feel comfortable around police. In an email to Capital Pride, the executive of GM said that it opposed the “decision of the Pride Committee to ask the Ottawa Police not to put a float in the parade or to wear uniforms”. Capital Pride has reiterated its request to the Ottawa Police for 2018.
Over the years Gender Mosaic members have been involved with the Ottawa Police Service in many ways, most notably with the Ottawa Police Liaison Committee, and the executive felt Capital Pride’s decision was a backward step in the GLBT community’s relationship with the OPS. Gender Mosaic first participated in the Pride Parade in 1994.
March 2018 – While the bars on Elgin Street were filling up early in the afternoon for St. Patrick’s Day 2018, I was at the Jack Purcell Community Centre for SAEFTY’s Human Library. SAEFTY (Support and Education for Trans Youth) is Ottawa’s newest and only by youth for youth trans, Two Spirit and gender diverse youth group. In a human library, individuals volunteer as human ‘books’ and visitors to the event can have a one on one conversation with the volunteer and share in a dialogue about that individual’s experience. More
Trans Ottawa 