“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.” (Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 1963”)
It has been my experience and careful observation that a growing number of organizations in the local Niagara region espouse the virtues of diversity, equity, and inclusion but monumentally fail in their delivery. These upper and lower-tier municipal governments and municipally-owned enterprises regularly and emphatically pat themselves on the back for their cagey exploration of policies around ‘lowering barriers to access’ and having discussions about ‘systemic or institutional reform’ while often failing to ever include any actual trans or queer voices in their gaudy corporate boardrooms. Unsurprisingly, their lavish mahogany doors remained shuttered, voices unheard, as the choir of self-congratulatory praise crescendos into an anti-climactic status quo.
It should be self-evident to any casual observer that one cannot be “inclusive” when the oppressively heavy executive doors remain battened down to the very community these organizations pretend to represent. Talking about us as opposed to with us is quite different. There can be no change, no progress if transgender individuals remain occluded and if we are denied the exigencies of opportunity.
In the last few years, I have seen too many intelligent, compassionate, and driven people in my community institutionally prohibited from participating in programs and committees ostensibly created to be “inclusive.” In the place of marginalized voices with something valuable to contribute, privileged autocrats with no lived experience plan strategies to ameliorate the lives they omit.
If inclusion is a core belief of an organization, and in my experience, rarely is it ever, these governmental and corporate leaders must include and embody the trans experience by imbibing trans and queer voices in the discussion. Hear us; promote us to positions where we can effect meaningful change; anything short of that is just doublespeak.
We merit being heard; we ought to be heard.
“There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair.”
JUSTICE ENDS WHERE POLICING BEGINS: The Shameful History of Policing The Gay and Trans Community in Canada
Policing reform is routinely framed as a matter of training, oversight, or inclusive language. None of this resolves the central contradiction exposed by decades of violence against trans people: policing is a system built on discretion, not equality. It decides who belongs, who is suspect, and whose suffering is credible.
ROT AT THE CORE: How Transphobia Persists in Niagara’s Policing Culture
The former president of the Niagara Regional Police Association exemplifies systemic transphobia and homophobia in policing, perpetuating a culture of distrust. This issue highlights accountability failures, emphasizing the need for broader community responsibility in ensuring respect and equality for marginalized groups.
PART 3 – NO PERMISSION NEEDED: What Was Once Shame Has Become Pride
What began as innocent play, the joy of dressing up and pretending, soon curdled into confusion and punishment. My parents’ gentle corrections hardened into anger, their voices faltering with something more akin to unrelenting impatience. My pleas — small, wordless, desperate — were dismissed as misbehaviour. How could I have explained, at four or five…
PART 2 – SHAPE OF BECOMING: Grief, Legacy, and Inheriting Her Echo
Grief is a complex journey, shaping identity through loss and memory. Sabrina reflects on her relationship with her mother, navigating absence, longing, and legacy. While struggling to inherit her traits, they ultimately find strength and validation in her mother’s enduring voice, guiding them towards self-acceptance and growth.
- I DIDN’T PLAN TO BECOME A TEACHER: The Students Who Made Me Stay
- JUSTICE ENDS WHERE POLICING BEGINS: The Shameful History of Policing The Gay and Trans Community in Canada
- RAISED BY PLACES UNSEEN: The Quiet Way Borneo Found Me
- ALONE AGAINST THE SYSTEM: Fighting Police Misconduct in Ontario Means Surviving It
- PART 3 – NO PERMISSION NEEDED: What Was Once Shame Has Become Pride
Sabrina Constance 