The province of New-Brunswick and the Public Service Alliance of Canada were alive with color this past month as the cities of Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton celebrated their respective Pride weeks, all with the participation of the PSAC.
After walking in both the Fredericton and Saint John pride parades, Sandy Harquail, LGBT Director for PSAC Atlantic, was the moderator for Moncton River of Pride’s community forum, which focused on the celebration of Trans people and was also attended by other members and employees of the PSAC.
With the help of four courageous individuals spanning multiple generations, the forum brought to light some of the many issues Trans people of all ages are faced with, including lack of acceptance, depression and discrimination in the workforce.
One woman spoke of the ease with which she transitioned at work. She said that it is very important to be prepared with reference material such as documents, books and websites to help colleagues understand what transitioning means, but also that her transition was made a lot easier with the help of her union.
In response to the difficulty that many individuals, including herself as she was transitioning, have finding information and support in the Moncton area, yet another woman who spoke at the forum has recently founded the Moncton Trans Peer Support Group, which holds monthly meetings and can be contacted at be_tgmoncton@live.com.
Joelline Girouard
Student Regional Officer
PSAC
Moncton Regional office
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