A transgender elder in Toronto is speaking up about the dire need for community and support amid staggering rates of transphobia and anti-transgender violence locally and worldwide.
Nov. 20 marked International Transgender Day of Remembrance to honour the transgender lives lost in acts of violence.
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Federal data found that in 2021, one in 300 people in Canada (100,815) over 15 years old identify as transgender or non-binary. Surveys prove that those belonging to this community face elevated risks of violence and self-harm.
Data shows that in Canada, 59 per cent of transgender and non-binary people have faced physical or sexual assault at least once since turning 15. That is compared to 37 per cent of cisgender people. Additionally, 40 per cent of gender-diverse people in Canada had seriously contemplated ending their own life, compared to 15 per cent of their cisgender counterparts.
Between Oct. 2022 and Sep. 2023, data from Transgender Europe shows that 321 gender-diverse people were reported murdered around the world, representing nearly one person a day. Their data found that transgender people belonging to additional marginalized groups were even more likely to experience violence. Eighty per cent of victims were people of colour, while 94 per cent were transwomen or feminine presenting, and 48 per cent were involved in sex work.
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In an interview with Queer & Now, Toronto activist and transgender elder Susan Gapka issued an important reminder.
“These [numbers] are only those that are reported [to police]. We imagine there are quite a few others that we don’t know about who have died violently and have been erased by their death, and not even counted in the statistics.”
Gapka herself has experienced discrimination and hardships as a transwoman. Experiencing homelessness for a decade, Gapka relied on services and support provided by community organizations, like The 519.
“I’ve had the opportunity to be employed, to be engaged, to acquire an education which made a difference. Not everybody has [those opportunities],” she explained.
Gapka shared that she has concerns about the current political climate in Canada and across North America. She explained that as a trans elder, she has a longer worldview, and has lived through more of the transgender community’s fight for equality, which spans decades.
“I have seen so much in the last 10 years, with the amending of the Ontario Human Rights Code in 2012 to have better protections and more funding to do education and training,” Gapka explained, “And the federal bill, C-16, I’ve seen so many advances.”
“On September 20, The 519 and some other local organizations, we mounted counter-protests to a demonstration [by] our opponents [who] don’t want us to have the protections, the security, the decency and respect that we’ve worked so hard to overcome,” she said, explaining that working closely with the community through her work at The 519 has led her to have concerns about the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ youth.
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“For younger people who don’t have that longer life experience, that must be a very, very frightful thing. That is why I say we must protect our trans kids, we must love and protect.”
Gapka lamented the importance of community and support, something that was palpable during a vigil held on Nov. 20 at The 519. Attendees heard speeches and took in performances from members of the community, including those personally impacted by anti-transgender violence. This included Christy, a long-time friend of the late Cassandra Do, a transgender woman in Toronto who was murdered in 2003.
“Twenty years ago she was the only friend that I had who understood what I was going through… we understood each other.”
“I want to talk a little bit about her because people should remember her,” Christy explained through tears.
Christy described Do as a caring and tender woman who experienced intense discrimination due to her gender identity. Christy shared that Do had been fired from her job as a nurse due to her transition, but was the kind of person who left anonymous Christmas gifts to every person on her apartment building floor to brighten their holiday spirit.
Christy’s message? Love conquers hate.
“We will love, even in the midst of being hated.”
And this is a sentiment echoed by Gapka.
“We’re all human beings, just like every one of us. We want to be loved, we want to be protected and supported. We want organizations to hire us so that we can afford to have decent housing, access to health care, social inclusion, and to have a nice wardrobe, maybe.”
