Day 2: Opening of the Moving Trans History Forward 2023 conference

In the afternoon, before the conference began, I was just one woman working on my computer at the coffee shop next to another woman working like me. After a benign greeting of, "It's a great place to get work done," turns out we have a lot in common. We laughed over shared stories. What a beautiful afternoon!

Took the bus to the conference with blossoming trees.

None less than Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, wrote a letter stating the MTHF23 conference "provides us with an invaluable opportunity to recognize the immense contributions that Trans+ people have made to our shared nation, honour their achievements, learn about their past, understand the issues facing them today, and discuss ways for us all to come together and work towards a better future, with pride."

The conference has around 450 people total registered! It's not too late to register for the zoom option.

The conference is using a pronoun-identifying method I've never seen before - stickers that everyone can affix to their lanyard/name tag. Also, one can put a "no photography" sticker on, to indicate they don't wish to be photographed. Communication made simple!

The Opening Ceremony included a screening of the documentary film SIhálí (Woman) about a knowledge keeper of Stó:lō and Tsimshian descent. Several moments tugged at my heartstrings, but one message that stands out the most to me was when director Á'a:Líya Warbus said this: "When you're a witness you're, first, called to go back to your community and share. You're like a reporter. And, second, your task is to remember. Because nothing [in traditional cultures] was written, so it is up to ask each other validation of the story."

AND I'M WRITING MY FIRST BLOG! I have several communities in Oak Park and Chicago, Illinois that I'm sharing my journey with! PFLAG Oak Park Area, OPALGA+ (the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association) and more. I'm validating the stories of so many people I'm meeting on this trip. It's very fun, but at its core, it's important. We're healing lives and communities.

So, on that grand note, I ended the evening by taking a snapshot of the Parliamentary building of Victoria with a trans flag waving under a shining moon - giving me the 10th time of sniffling in my nose from happiness and hope.