Hate crimes, violence, transphobia: painful subjects that must be acknowledged and addressed by the academic community in order to honor victims, and support and empower transgender people in our community. Established in 1999, Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR) aims to “honour those who have been lost to or suffered violence as a result of transphobia, as well as recognize the ongoing violence and oppression that trans people continue to face.” (UBC, 2020).
Unfortunately, many people not only face transphobia, but are also marginalized because of their race, socioeconomic status, faith, health, in what is known as Intersectionality, a concept largely studied by scholars on Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice. One of the main works on the theme, written by Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge is available as an e-book at UBC Library.
To honor and amplify the voices of trans people, we would like to point you to some UBC Library resources about or by them.
Michele Dow just published Transgender educators: Understanding marginalization through an intersectional lens.
One of the aspects highlighted by the author is the importance of representation: “For young people understanding their gender identity, they may read about the lives of transgender people and in some cases feel enormous support from their cisgender teachers and administrators, but there is nothing quite like the moment when they actually see a person like themselves standing in front of the classroom.” (Dow, 2020, p. 11)
If you want to learn more, Susan Stryker’s Transgender history is another great resource.
Besides the historical analysis, the author also curated and made available a list of non-fiction and fiction books, documentaries, films and websites.
Una Mujer Fantástica [A Fantastic Woman], a Chilean production was one of the most recent films to gain attention from the public.
The movie tells the story of Marina, a trans woman, and her fight for her rights after the passing of her partner, Orlando.
In Becoming a Visible Man, Jamison Green wrote his auto-biography while approaching important aspects and problems related to transgender and transsexual people.
Another acclaimed autobiography is Freshwater , by Akwaeke Emezi. Following the novel format, Akwaeke “explores the metaphysics of identity and being, plunging the reader into the mysteries of self”. (“Freshwater”, n.d.).
You can get this book by using our Materials Pick-Up Services.
Vivek Shrarya is a celebrated Canadian artist who works using her words as text, music, theatre, film.
Her best-selling book, I’m Afraid of Men is currently available in print at UBC-Okanagan, but you can find other works by the author at UBC – Vancouver and online!
You can get Even this page is white! using our Materials Pick-Up Service, or read a digital copy of The subtweet: a novel.
Besides the resources available at UBC, you can also check out resources at your local public library! Many Public libraries curate book lists for topics, like the one created by King County Library System (Washington – USA) for TDoR! If you’re in Vancouver, librarians at Vancouver Public Library (VPL) tailored a list of Transgender Non-fiction books.
Want to take action? If you are a trans UBC student, staff or faculty looking for support, or if you want to learn more about becoming an ally, UBC has some helpful resources available for the community!
UBC Equity & Inclusion Office promotes the Positive Space Campaign, that fosters “a welcoming and inclusive environment, respectful dialogue on campus for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities by identifying spaces where sexual and gender diversity is supported and valued.” (n. d.).
UBC Student Services designed a page to support trans and gender diversity on Campus.
Out on the Shelves is Vancouver’s oldest LGBT2QIA+ Library. Located at the Nest, the library is a safe space ran by volunteers.
REFERENCES
Dow, M. (2020). Transgender educators: Understanding marginalization through an intersectional lens. Lanham: Lexington Books.
Freshwater. (n. d.). Akwaeke Emezi. Retrieved November 22, 2020 from https://www.akwaeke.com/freshwater
UBC. (2020, November).Transgender Day of Remembrance at UBC. UBC Events. Retrieved November 22, 2020 from https://events.ubc.ca/transgender-day-of-remembrance-at-ubc/
UBC Equity & Inclusion Office. (n. d.). Positive Space Campaign. Retrieved November 22m 2020 from https://equity.ubc.ca/resources/positive-space/
Featured image:
Balk, L. (2020). Transgender Flag 2 [Digital Image]. Unsplash. https://unsplash.com/photos/aSNHfvzHTkI
