Happy Pride Month, WCH! Pride is an incredible opportunity for us to celebrate the rich diversity of the 2SLGBTQ+ community at Women’s and beyond. While this month is filled with so much joy, it’s also a time for reflection on the progress we have made and the work that still lies ahead in our journey towards true equity and inclusion.
As many of you know, Pride in Toronto began as a protest and, though we have come a long way since the 1981 bathhouse raids that ignited the Canadian movement, the element of protest is still at the core of Pride celebrations around the globe. Trans and gender-diverse individuals, particularly those of colour, continue to face obstacles in accessing safe and inclusive healthcare. It is crucial that we are United with Pride as we advocate for the safety and rights of our friends, family, and colleagues.
Our collective commitment is central to our mission of providing compassionate care to all patients. We take immense pride in our leadership in Transitions Related Surgery (TRS), which extends beyond surgical research and innovation to include comprehensive community support and education. We were the first public hospital to offer this lifesaving care. Our new strategic plan, launching later this month, sets the stage for next first through the creation of Canada’s first Centre for Sex and Gender in Health. The Centre will address sex and gender bias and gaps in healthcare and research that lead to poorer health outcomes, evidence gaps and inefficient health spending for women, trans and gender-diverse people.
Throughout June, our Pride Committee, in partnership with the Office of Equity, has organized numerous events to engage, educate, and celebrate. Use this hub to learn more about upcoming events and to access important information through the virtual resource library!
Trans & Dyke Marches Join us in marching alongside the 2SLGBTQ+ communities in Pride Toronto’s marching events! Born out of protest, WCH marches in solidarity with Queer communities to show our support for a healthier, more equitable world. As a thank you for marching, you will receive our official United with Pride T-Shirt. Sign up for all our marches HERE! Trans Pride March: Friday, June 28 at 7 p.m. (meet at 6:30 p.m. at Hayden St. and Church St.) Dyke Pride March: Saturday, June 29 at 1 p.m. (meet at 12:30 p.m. Hayden St. and Church St.)
2024 Events
Pride Kick-off Kick-off our 2024 Pride celebrations with delicious treats, pins, informational pamphlets, resources and more! When: Thursday, June 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Where: Peter Gilgan Atrium
Singing Out with Pride! Join us and Toronto’s largest 2SLGBTQ+ choir, Singing Out! for a performance in the Peter Gilgan Atrium. When: Thursday, June 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Where: Peter Gilgan Atrium
Pride Panel: 2SLGBTQIA+ Intersectionality in Healthcare How does Queer intersectionality impact the healthcare experience? Join us for a panel event featuring 2SLGBTQIA+ community members who share their experiences, insights and triumphs as people who live on and/or treat patients who live on intersections of Queerness. When: Tuesday, June 18 from 12 – 1 p.m. Where: Online, Zoom Registration Required:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SRldca-KSbqKI6RTCLNBVw
Team BBQ Pride booth Come find us at our annual team BBQ! Along with delicious food and WCH swag at the BBQ, there will be a pride photobooth. When: Thursday, June 27 Where: Outside the WCH Main Entrance
Trans & Dyke Marches Join us in marching alongside the 2SLGBTQ+ communities in Pride Toronto’s marching events! Born out of protest, WCH marches in solidarity with Queer communities to show our support for a healthier, more equitable world. As a thank you for marching, you will receive our official United with Pride T-Shirt. Sign up for all our marches HERE! Trans Pride March: Friday, June 28 at 7 p.m. (meet at 6:30 p.m. at Hayden St. and Church St.) Dyke Pride March: Saturday, June 29 at 1 p.m. (meet at 12:30 p.m. Hayden St. and Church St.)
Transition Related Surgeries: Virtual Seminar Series
Join us for an anonymous virtual forum to learn about and discuss transition related surgeries with our team of medical experts. This event is open to trans and gender diverse people, their loved ones and providers living in Ontario.
When: July 12 at 12 p.m., October 7 at 4 p.m. and November 8 at 12 p.m. Where:Click here to register
A high-quality healthcare organization starts with a culture thatpromotes equity and reduces disparities.
The Women’s College Hospital Equity Roadmap is an essential tool to guide our work to build an organizational culture focused on equity, inclusion, diversity, accessibility, anti-racism and anti-oppression; and to contribute to better outcomes for patients, families and providers within the health system.
This Equity Roadmap offers a plan for the explicit and deliberate actions that are urgently required to reduce health inequities and create an organizational culture that will contribute to better outcomes for the communities we serve.
Transgender healthcare access issues are prominent in Canada and worldwide, with significant health gaps in access to skilled primary, emergency and specialty care services, which may include, for some individuals, access to medically necessary surgical services.
In response to a significant wait list for surgical referrals and lack of access to surgical services in publicly funded hospitals, Women’s College Hospital (WCH) has partnered with Sherbourne Health Centre including Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO), and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), along with a group of committed individuals from the community, to form the Trans Health Expansion Partnership (THEx).
THEx supports the expansion of health services for trans individuals and communities across Ontario. Under the umbrella of THEx, the Transition Related Surgery Sub-committee led by WCH, is charged with the goal of creating an accessible, and quality surgical program.
WCH is dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of our transgender and gender diverse clients. The surgical team of the Transition-Related Surgery (TRS) Program includes specialists in plastic surgery, urology, gynecology and anesthesiology as well as nurse practitioners, nurses and other health care providers. This program represents the first public hospital-based surgical program in Canada focused on providing safe and timely access to transition-related surgical care.
At WCH, we are dedicated to offering the safest proven surgical options for TRS. Working in partnership with our patients, we bring expertise, experience and a commitment to the highest quality of care and patient experience.
We are Women’s: United With Pride Month Spotlights
This Pride Month, we are spotlighting and celebrating our 2SLGBTQ+ team and community members as well as allies from across the organization as part of our We are Women’s series. Stay tuned for updates to this section throughout the month of June!
Singing out is Toronto’s largest 2SLGBTQQIA+ community choir. They are a mixed-voice, non-auditioned, choir – a relative rarity in communities across North America.
Above all, Singing Out is a community with a mission of pride, music, and belonging. With weekly Tuesday rehearsals, and social events throughout the year, Singing Out is a community where its members can be themselves freely with no judgement.
They have a mission to create a warm welcoming space where everyone who enjoys singing and learning can find a place to belong and have fun. The group welcomes different levels of experience, as well as diverse backgrounds and identities. All are welcome. At Singing Out we sing together, we sing as one, and we sing with pride. Check them out at our United With Pride Kick Off event at noon on Thursday, June 1st!
Founded in 1981, Pride Toronto continues a legacy that is deeply intertwined with the rich, progressive history of Toronto’s queer community. From a small gathering of dedicated activists fighting for their right to love and be seen, to clashes with the government and police, to the vibrant celebration we know today, Pride has been a long time in the making. Join us by signing up for any of the march delegations, HERE.
Pride Panel
Dr. Chase Everett McMurren (he & they)
Dr. McMurren serves as the Indigenous Health Theme Lead in the MD Program and the Indigenous Practitioner Liaison within the Office of Indigenous Health in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and is the Chair of the Scientific Planning Committee for the Peer Connect Program at the Ontario College of Family Physicians & the Co-Chair of the National Consortium for Indigenous Medical Education (NCIME) Working Group on Physician Wellness and Joy in Work.
leZlie lee kam (gender mysterious)
I am a World Majority, Brown, Carib-Indigenous , trini, Indo, Chinese, callaloo, differently-abled, Jurassic and Bionic DYKE, Elder/Rainbow Senior and I’m currently a co-chair of the board of Pride Toronto. I am an educator, accessibility/accommodation consultant, story teller, connector, sometimes actor and a respectful troublemaker, disruptor, infiltrator and agitator. I live and work from a pro-Indigenous, Truth and Reconciliation, anti-oppression, anti-racism, intergenerational / intersectional perspective. I advocate for Two Spirit, Indigenous, queer and transgender rainbow seniors and youth of colour.
Dr. Laura Stratton (she/her)
Dr. Stratton is a family physician and Lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. After her family medicine training, she pursued an Enhanced Skills Program at the University of Toronto in 2SLGBTQ+ health and currently provides comprehensive primary care to patients at Women’s College Family Practice. Her clinical interest is in improving the care of 2SGLBTQ+ people, and in particular trans and gender diverse individuals. She is actively involved in teaching 2SLGBTQ+ care to medical students, residents and faculty.
Check out this page throughout the month of June for event photo and video updates!
Prides Past
Pride Kick-off: Singing Out with Pride
Pride, Popcorn and Pronouns
Trivia and Treats
Chair
Kabir Singh Shergill
Executive Committee
Heather McPherson Sandra Smith Jack Woodman
Our Full Committee
Angela Boyd Aziza Elwin Brooke Vickery Cherry Lok Cheung Courtney McLean Diann Santiago Erin Pollon Giovanni Temansja Henrietta DeWolfe Jacob Looyestein Jamie Sicilia Jan MacKay Jane Caluag John DiTecco Kaitlin Hawley Katie Wilson
Laura Anderson Matina Haralampous Natalie Benninger Olivia Dodge Rebecca Raj Samantha Joubert Sandra Arora Sarah McCarthy Sharda Surujpaul Sharia Payne Sharon Tan Stephanie Hatzifilalithis Telena Shena Victoria Ennis Vivetha Thambinathan Yonda Lai
