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Today marks the 13th anniversary of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day that has been set apart to remember the lives of the family, friends, lovers, and strangers we have lost throughout the year as a result of anti-trans* violence. As individuals personally invested in the recognition, protection, accommodation, embrace, and appreciation of transsexual,* transgender,* genderqueer,* two-spirited, and other/non-gendered individuals, it pains us to have to observe this day every year. Therefore, as part of your observance of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, we encourage you to write to your Member of Parliament requesting that they support Bill C-279, the federal ‘gender identity’ bill.
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As you may or may not know, Bill C-279 is the federal bill that seeks to include ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds both in the discrimination provisions of the Canadian Human Rights Act, and in the hate crimes provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada. The bill will provide the frameworks needed to ensure that violence against trans people is accurately recorded and redressed by violence prevention programs nation-wide (including law enforcement). It will also establish the legal foundation needed to get people thinking about the  violence being done to trans people in Canada and around the world, both personally and systemically.
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You can find the name and contact information of your Member of Parliament here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E.
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If you don’t know who your Member of Parliament is, you can find your riding here http://www.elections.ca/scripts/pss/FindED.aspx?L=e and then find your riding in the contact link above.
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Your assistance is deeply appreciated.
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In celebratory, pensive, and sorrowful solidarity,
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The Queer Ontario Steering Committee
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Hello Everyone,
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We just found out via Sarah Manns and the Trans Lobby Group that Bill C-279 (the Federal ‘Gender Identity’ Bill) will be discussed at the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on November 20, 22, and 27.
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This is the bill that was originally written to add ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ as protected grounds from discrimination and hate crimes under the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms and the Criminal Code of Canada; however, it is now only proposing ‘gender identity’ after the Conservative Party of Canada threatened to defeat the bill during Second Reading.
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More information on the Bill can be found here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/LegisInfo/BillDetails.aspx?billId=5122660&Mode=1&Language=E
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Information about how to depute or make a submission has not been published yet. It will likely be posted on the House of Common’s Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights website.
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Moving forward,
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Martin Otarola
Queer Ontario Secretary
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When: Sunday, November 4, 2012, from 1:00 to 5:00pm
Where: Room 201 at The 519 Community Centre in Toronto
———-  At 519 Church Street, just north of Wellesley Street

Note: The 519 Community Centre is a wheelchair accessible place.
This event will be livestreamed with opportunity for online participation.
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Greetings!
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Queer Ontario invites you to join us for our second Annual General Meeting, to be held at The 519 Community Centre on Sunday, November 4, 2012. All Participating Members and other interested individuals are invited to take part, be it in person or online. Light refereshments will be available for those attending in person.
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Childcare and ASL interpretation can also be made available with advanced request. If you require any of these services, please let Martin Otarola, the Queer Ontario Secretary, know by 5:00 pm on Friday, October 27, 2012.  Martin can be reached at info@queerontario.org.
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And, as always: Queer Ontario highly encourages participation from individuals outside of Toronto, be it in person or online. Information on how to do this can be found in the links below.
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The documents you will need for this meeting are available here. [Queer Ontario > About > Meetings > 2012 Annual General Meeting]. These include:
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1. An agenda for the 2012 Annual General Meeting
2. A financial statement for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, and a proposed budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year.
3. Instructions on how to designate a Proxy.
4. Instructions on how to run for one of the elected Steering Committee positions that will make themselves available at the AGM.
5. The minutes to the last Annual General Meeting, held on November 5, 2011.
6. The minutes to the Special General Meeting to amend the bylaws, held on April 18, 2012.
7. A copy of the current version of the Queer Ontario Bylaws.
8. Instructions on how to participate online.
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Remember: Only “Participating” Members (individuals who have contributed a minimum of six meeting and/or volunteer hours between November 5, 2011 and September 30, 2012) are entitled vote at the Annual General Meeting and/or run for an elected Steering Committee position. Those who are not Participating Members can still take part in discussions, ask questions, and provide feedback and comments, as desired.
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If you have any question about any of the information or documents herein, do not hesitate to contact Martin Otarola, the Queer Ontario Secretary, at info@queerontario.org. All attempts will be made to respond to your question(s) within 48 hours.
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Indeed, we hope to connect with many of you on November 4th!
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Nick Mulé
Queer Ontario Chair
On Behalf of the Queer Ontario Steering Committee