The Fanshawe community has come together to discuss gender justice.
It was part of the EDI centre’s Fall Vigil. Yesterday’s event combined two important days which recognize the issue of gender-based violence.
Transgender Day of Remembrance and White Ribbon Day. The first is observed annually on November 25th. Meanwhile, the second is observed annually on December 6th.
CEDI’s Director, Joseph Pazzano, said that both days tackle similar topics. These include sexism and toxic masculinity. “Encouraging ally-ship between communities and bridging our collective goals, I think, is really important,” added Pazzano.
27 trans people have died from violent deaths since Transgender Day of Remembrance last year. Based on those stats from Advocates for Trans Equality, an overwhelming 21 were trans women.
On top of that, women and girls are most often killed by those they know. According to the UN’s 2025 Femicide Report, 60% in the past year died at the hands of family or partners.
The Director of UN Women’s Policy Division has said:
“Every woman and girl has the right to be safe in every part of her life, and that requires systems that intervene early. To prevent these killings, we need the implementation of laws that recognize how violence manifests across the lives of women and girls, both online and offline, and hold perpetrators to account well before it turns deadly.”
The vigil coincided with a campaign led by the UN organization. ’16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’ for 2025 focuses on digital forms of violence. It runs from now until December 10th.
