Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

Kamloops Pride and TRU Law students collaborate on document for 2SLGBTQIA+ community

Oct 19, 2021 | 4:51 PM

KAMLOOPS — For years, the LGBTQ2S-plus community has been fighting for equal rights throughout society. Former Kamloops Pride board member and lawyer, Grace McDonell, saw that every day at work.

“The idea sprung from Kamloops Pride and my own personal and work inbox being filled with queries from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community – do you know a queer-competent lawyer or trans-competent lawyer who can help me with this legal problem?” McDonell explains.

So, McDonell recruited half a dozen TRU Law students to help her create a comprehensive document titled ‘Know Your Rights’ – a resource for queer folx who are seeking answers to some frequently asked questions about their rights when it comes to criminal justice and health care.

“I call it a one-stop-shop, “ McDonell says. “So you’re not having to go to different websites. It’s one place where you can find all this information.”

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While great strides have been made by the LGBTQ2S+ community, there’s still a great deal of discrimination and hate directed towards them. Newly elected Kamloops Pride President, Ashton O’Brien says knowledge is power, especially when it comes to keeping people safe.

“Having information like this at your fingertips is just so invaluable. Knowing what to do and not having to put yourself out there – because when you ask these questions, you have to out yourself most of the time,” O’Brien explains. “It keeps you safe. You can get this information, you know it’s accurate and you don’t have to put yourself in a position where you might not be safe.”

The collaboration between Kamloops Pride and the TRU law students was invaluable to both sides. Just ask Katelyn Chaudhary.

“It actually helps decrease barriers to justice,” Chaudhary says. “It was actually a fun experience. I haven’t been part of something like this before, especially from a legal aspect. It was very educational.”

The document is 176-pages long and is available to download from the Kamloops Pride website. While it was a lot of work to put together, Chaudhary and McDonell are back at it, with even more law students, working on an updated version of the guide.

“It’s ever-expanding, and I’m so delighted it’s happening,” McDonell says.