November 19th, 2015

New Democrats mark Trans Day Of Remembrance with call for moment of silence at the Ontario Legislature

For the first time in Ontario’s history, Queen’s Park held a moment of silence in honour of Trans Day of Remembrance.The motion for the moment of silence was introduced by the Ontario NDP and received unanimous consent by all parties in the legislature. “The moment of silence today is a historic first for Queen’s Park,” said NDP LGBT critic Cheri DiNovo, a champion for Trans rights in Ontario and Canada and the MPP who introduced the motion. “In fact, this is a first in North America for a jurisdiction of this size.”Trans Day of Remembrance is marked annually on November 20 to recognize those who have died due to transphobic hatred and prejudice. It is a crucial opportunity to raise awareness of the realities the Transgender community continues to face.“I am proud to lead an Ontario NDP team that champions Trans rights — whether it was leading the fight to ban conversion therapy, or pass Toby’s Act, NDP MPPs like Cheri DiNovo have led the way,” said Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath. “Our commitment to bringing these issues forward is a reflection of the courage and leadership the Transgender community continues to show. We are stand proud of the work we’ve done as a community, but recognize that there’s still more to be done so that more innocent lives aren’t lost in vain.”