Trans* Inclusiveness: Here's What's Going On!

We intend to use this page to provide updates on the work that we are doing.

The Victoria Women's Sexual Assault Centre has made a commitment to become more trans*-inclusive, and will be expanding some of our services to include all trans* survivors of sexualized violence.

The changes we make to our services and space will be guided by feedback from the trans* community and so, as we begin to make these changes, we welcome any suggestions, comments or concerns trans* people or their allies may have to improve their experience at our Centre.

Some of the changes already completed include making our individual counselling services accessible to all trans* survivors, while others - such as making our outdated washroom facilities gender neutral or gender inclusive - are still in progress.

Wondering about the astrix*? 

MEDIA RELEASE

July 22, 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:           Lenore Kennedy

                        (250)383-5545 (office), (250)882-0942 (cell), [email protected]

Vancouver Foundation Awards $120,000 to Victoria Sexual Assault Centre to Increase Safety and Accessibility of Services for Trans* Survivors of Sexualized Violence.

VICTORIA – Staff and board at the Victoria Women’s Sexual Assault Centre are celebrating, and with good reason. The Vancouver Foundation awarded the centre a $120,000 grant ($40,000 over three years) to become trans* accessible, and share the details of the process both with the local community, nationally, and internationally.

“WSAC has been providing services for survivors of sexualized violence for thirty years and has been informally serving the transgender community for the past decade. After constructive feedback from the community, our staff and board collectively made the decision to seriously evaluate the accessibility of our services to the trans* community,” says Makenna Rielly, Executive Director. “We recognize that trans* people are among the most marginalized and experience high levels of violence, a full 64% have experienced sexualized violence.”

Trans* survivors of sexualized violence have long been excluded from traditional women and men only services. The goals of the project are to decrease the negative impacts of trauma for trans* survivors of sexualized violence by providing accessible, gender-inclusive services and support, and to incite a community wide shift to make all services for victims of violence trans* inclusive.

The project will include community consultation, a re-branding process, the development and implementation of a promotion and communications plan, and community education and capacity building. “We want trans* survivors to feel supported in their healing and have access to services, but more than anything the purpose of this project  is to increase understanding and acceptance of *trans people and decrease transphobia in our community. We sincerely wish to increase the sense of safety and belonging for trans* and gender variant people,” explains Rielly.

The Victoria Women's Sexual Assault Centre (www.vwsac.com) is a feminist organization committed to ending sexualized violence through healing, education, and prevention.  We are dedicated to supporting women and all trans* survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse, through advocacy, counselling, and empowerment.