Ladner’s Michelle Wilson will be one of several incredible women speakers at the 11th G Day Vancouver event next week.
G Day Vancouver takes place on Monday, April 29 at the Nikkei Cultural Centre in Burnaby.
The day-long event welcomes and recognizes girls as they take their first steps on their journey toward adulthood. Tween girls ages 10 to 12 are invited, along with their parents and other supportive adults, to an immersive learning experience that celebrates the transition between childhood and adolescence.
Wilson is the mother of Tru Wilson - a strong advocate for transgender rights and inclusion.
When Tru was refused the right to attend Ladner's Sacred Heart School as a girl, the Wilsons filed a human rights complaint against the school and the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese for not supporting her gender identity.
In response, the Catholic School Board became one of the first in North America to develop a policy to support gender expression in 2014.
“This is one of many talks I am asked to do each year as part of my advocacy work in the trans-community,” Michelle Wilson said. “My G Day talk is titled ‘Raising Rebel Girls,’ and I will speak directly about my belief in helping our girls take control of their future, regardless of their circumstance.
“Yes, this was an important part of my life when I supported and fought for Tru in her transition, but my passion for this subject started further back for me, when I chose to write a new story for myself. I grew up in a drug and alcohol addicted family, and after my father went to jail for trafficking narcotics, I left home to go to college and built a new life for myself, knowing that I wanted my own kids to have the love and support I never did.”
Since the first G Day launched in 2014, more than 1,300 girls and 700 adults have attended across five Canadian cities.
Other speakers at the G Day event include former broadcaster Tamara Taggart, who is now the Liberal nominee in Vancouver-Kingsway, and Jocelyn MacDougall, community convener, activist and singer.
Tickets are $60, available at: https://gday.world/vancouver2019/.
