Articles 2021

Conversion therapy is a blight on Canadian society, causing arguably irreparable harm to the LGBTQ2S community. According to the Canadian Department of Justice, lower income, Indigenous, and transgender people are disproportionately represented amongst those who have been exposed to conversion therapy. The recent Bill C-6 attempts to bring criminal law reform in line with LGBTQ2S rights to ban the harmful practice across the country.

COVID-19 brought chaos to all corners of the globe. After the pandemic forced an early return home from a legal internship in South Africa, my professional journey in Canada had a slow and painful start. Meanwhile, I was also on a more personal journey: discovering and understanding my gender identity.

In my recovery from depression and alcoholism, I found purpose in life when I once found none. Once deeply ashamed, I now hope my recovery story can help others.

The first openly gay Master ever appointed in Canada, Master Robert Muir is remembered by friends and colleagues as a model of professionalism and mentorship whose legacy will live on in the many members of the justice community who benefitted from his thoughtful leadership and instrumental support.

In the second article in a series celebrating SOGIC’s 25th anniversary, Douglas Elliott, one of the section’s first co-chairs, talks about his part in producing lasting change in the fight for equality, from his time working on the OBA’s report on AIDS, up to the final decisive vote in Mont Tremblant that created SOGIC’s national section.

OBA SOGIC lawyers have been celebrating their PRIDE by wearing Rainbow tabs since 2018. We launched the #RainbowTabs #OBAPRIDE initiative and made it easy for everyone to print their very own Rainbow Tabs - and this year we are taking our show of pride nationwide.

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community (SOGIC) is celebrating 25 years at the forefront of LGBTTIQ2S advocacy in Canada. Founded during World AIDS Day, 1994, SOGIC now has chapters and representatives in every Canadian Province. In the first in a series of articles featuring retrospectives of the group’s founding and work, former SOGIC Ontario Branch (OBA) chairs, Chris Ellis and Paul Saguil reflect on their involvement.

The unsettling truth is that the fight over Ontario’s 2015 sexual health curriculum was a fight over a very imperfect document. People expect a lot of a sex ed document: it’s supposed to touch on a broad range of topics, including anatomy, gender, sexual intercourse, birth control, online safety, relationships, and bullying. Some of these are sensitive subjects. Ideally, the curriculum should capture the social realities facing today’s students, and prepare them for the world they live in.

"The Court should never be influenced by the weather of the day, but inevitably they will be influenced by the climate of the era." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg