International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, & Transphobia

Post published:May 10, 2025
Post category:Articles

May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) This date commemorates the decision in 1990 to remove homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organization (WHO). IDAHOBIT serves as a rallying point for global activism, uniting voices across more than 130 countries in the fight for equality, respect, and human rights for all. Standing in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Unifor proudly champions this journey towards equality and justice. As an ally, Unifor emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and advocates for the rights of all individuals, recognizing that love, identity, and expression should never be stigmatized. By supporting initiatives that promote awareness and acceptance, Unifor helps to create safer spaces where everyone can thrive without fear of discrimination. In a landmark moment of progress for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, the American Psychiatric Association’s board of trustees made a historical decision on December 15, 1973, unanimously voting to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. This pivotal shift marked a significant acknowledgment of the dignity and validity of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, fostering a sense of belonging and acceptance within society.

Pink Shirt Day 2025

Post published:February 18, 2025
Post category:Articles

In 2007 there was an incident of homophobic bullying in a Nova Scotian school. That event spurned kids, who barely knew the bullied child, to hand out and wear pink shirts in support of someone new to their school. Since then it’s been taken and brought to the public as a general awareness of bullying. Our local union has 4,000 or so members; we all at some point in our lives have experienced bullying. Be it a sexist comment, a misogynistic statement, racism, transphobia, homophobia or others. The work to end this is ongoing, and Pink Shirt Day is a day to show that no, bullying is not ok and that by wearing the shirt yes, you are a safe person for someone suffering from it to talk to. The history of Pink Shirt Day: In 2007, in Berwick, Nova Scotia, after a new student at their school was bullied for wearing a pink polo shirt, two grade 12 students bought 50 pink shirts and encouraged their classmates to wear pink. The next day they went to distribute the shirts and to their surprise, the majority of the students arrived wearing pink! With that act kindness, Pink Shirt Day was born. In recognition of the Berwick event, Nova Scotia proclaimed the second Thursday of September “Stand Up Against Bullying Day”. In 2008, British Columbia proclaimed February 27th to be the provincial anti-bullying day, and the movement has continued to grow. In 2012, the United Nations declared May 4th as Anti-Bullying Day, and now…

Human Rights Day

Post published:November 22, 2024
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International Day of Pink

Post published:November 22, 2024
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The Unifor Local 111 Pride Committee invites you to Day of Pink! Join us for speakers, entertainment and popcorn in celebration of International Day of Pink to stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and take a stand against bullying, discrimination, homophobia, and transphobia. There will be Day of Pink shirts available for a suggested donation of $20, CASH ONLY. Limited quantity - first come, first served. All proceeds will go to Qmunity, an incredible queer resource centre in Vancouver. Doors open at 6:30pm, event starts at 7:00pm. Please RSVP below so we can get a sense of how much popcorn we'll need! See you there!

Let’s Talk About SOGI and TDOR

Post published:November 19, 2023
Post category:Articles

The inclusion of SOGI education in Canadian schools has been a hot topic lately, and November 20 is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). Let's talk about these things, and how they relate. What Is SOGI? First of all, what does SOGI even mean? It stands for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. Maybe you've seen or heard it referred to as "SOGI 123." The "123" has no meaning other than to imply that it's "as easy as 123." So why are we talking about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity? And why are we trying to make it seem easy? Because everyone has a sexual orientation and a gender identity. Every. Person. On this planet. And it is easy. There are groups out there who are trying to make a mountain of this mole hill. They're trying to make it sound complicated and scary and difficult to understand. But if you understand that you are, for example, a straight man, then there's your sexual orientation (straight) and your gender identity (man) and that's all there is to it. It's that simple. Examples of Sexual Orientations: Straight (attracted to the opposite sex) Gay (attracted to the same sex; male) Lesbian (attracted to the same sex; female) Bisexual (attracted to more than one sex) Pansexual (attracted to all sexes) Asexual (not sexually attracted to anyone) Examples of Gender Identities: Cisgender Man (assigned male at birth; still identifies as male) Cisgender Woman (assigned female at birth; still identifies as female) Transgender Man (assigned female at…