An ongoing drug shortage is causing a hassle for trans men and other users of injectable testosterone.

Mary Potter is a registered nurse with the Sherbourne Health Centre's LGBT Primary Care Program. She says the most important thing for users to know is that they have other options for medication.

"The issue is when they don't come to see us or... they're told by the pharmacy that they just don't have it and people are waiting without the medication," she says.

Waiting, rather than finding an alternative drug, can result in a lapse of the medication's effects. "They should be coming in to see their physicians or nurse practitioners because they can be switched to a different compound."

On August 28, 1971 queer activists hosted the first large scale gay rights protest on Parliament Hill. 100 to 200 women and men stood in the pouring rain to listen to speeches from Toronto Gay Action, The Homophile Movement of Toronto and Front de Libération Homosexual. The demonstration was to follow up to a list sent to the federal government, later printed as"We Demand" in the queer magazine The Body Politic.

Build up

¡Relajate Sin Vergüenza!
¡Relaxe Sem Vergonha!
Relax Without Shame!

It's sadly not uncommon for transwomen to be discriminated against by women's services. Woman-only policies are exclusionary to women who are transgender, intersex and transexual.

Manual

That's why the Trans Alliance Society has produced the Trans Inclusion Policy Manual. The extensive guide covers definitions, legal and human rights, an overview of the need for inclusion as well as detailed sections about how to write and implement trans-friendly policy.

In the 1980s Health Canada instated a new policy which banned any man who has ever had sex with another man since 1977 from donating blood for life. At the time, this logic went largely uncontested in light of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

However, in recent years the ban has come under fire for continuing homophobic stereotypes about gay men and treating heterosexuals with similar behaviours differently. Men who are bisexual, in monogamous relationships or have abstained from sex for years are not allowed to donate.

History

Members of Ottawa's transgendered community and their allies gathered at 13th annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) on Sunday.

The vigil was held along with a week of trans-positive events in the capital, including a flag raising ceremony with police.

Candlelight from cupped hands illuminated the Human Rights Monument as the names of murdered trans people from 26 countries were read to the crowd. Causes of death were often graphic; victims have been beaten, burned, shot, and dismembered. Sadly, many victims were never identified by police and listed only as "no name reported."

Capital Pride wrapped up a "very successful" 2011 edition last week with its parade through Ottawa's downtown core, drawing an estimated 55,000 to 60,000 people, according to its chair Doug Saunders.

Capital Pride maybe the preeminent event for the city's GLBTTQ community, but it's also gradually becoming one of Ottawa's largest and most popular festivals. This year's version featured over 55 events, 100 volunteers and saw an increase of 200-300 per cent in advertising sales over the previous year.

Last week, city Councillor Diane Holmes hung up street signs branded "The Village" in a downtown intersection as part of a poll of local residents and businesses about designating a collection of streets in the city's Centretown region "a gay-friendly village."

Peel region has pride!
Pride Week in Peel, July 15 - July 23, 2011

Mississauga, ON - Community organizations in Peel are delighted to announce Pride Week in Peel 2011, celebrating LGBTTIQQ2S* communities in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon! With momentum building over the years, 2011 is the first year of a full week of events across the region.