Every day in the DDSB is a renewed opportunity to uphold and support human rights.  On Transgender Day of Visibility, we celebrate transgender people and acknowledge their accomplishments, strengths and successes, as well as their stories and experiences of agency, courage and resistance. It is also an opportunity to learn more about historical and ongoing discrimination and issues that trans people face every day, the intersectionality of identities, and to commit to collectively naming, raising our voices against and addressing transphobia in our schools and workplaces.

I would be remiss if, as the director of education, I didn’t acknowledge that for too long school systems have not adequately recognized, supported or addressed the unique and intersecting identities, strengths and needs of trans people - and as a result have continued to be a source of potential harm.

Increasing our attention to and understanding of what trans voices are telling us about their lived realities and experiences means that we will need to intentionally interrupt some of our practices to uphold human rights and prevent and not perpetuate harm. It means that we may need to reflect on our own ideas about gender identity and expression, how this informs our practices and decisions and how we may be creating and upholding barriers. This is our ongoing work so that Two Spirit, trans, transitioning, gender non-conforming/non-binary and gender diverse students and staff feel welcome, safe and included in all DDSB spaces.

It is not enough to make a statement such as this one on Transgender Day of Visibility.  As an organization, we are actively dismantling barriers to make our schools and workplaces inclusive and affirming spaces. We are educating staff and students about inclusive language. Our new construction projects feature inclusive washrooms and change rooms. Our student information systems are being changed to include chosen names. Our program offerings are challenging cisnormative and binary gender assumptions. We are taking a “nothing about us without us approach” in all we do.

And we have more work to do. 

We call on everyone in both the DDSB and in the communities we serve to embrace this responsibility today and every day. We are dedicated to creating change so that every member of our community can be who they truly are and know that they belong in the DDSB.

Norah Marsh,

Director of Education