Hundreds of people rally together for trans march in Canada
Hundreds of people have rallied together for the first ever trans march in Winnipeg, Canada.
Over 400 people turned out to the event, despite organisers expecting a lower turnout of under 100 people.
Shandi Strong, a member of the Pride Winnipeg Committee, said that they were blown away by the enormous turn out in support for trans rights.
Strong said: “When I first started planning this and knowing how shy some trans people can be, I was expecting 50 to 100 people.
“I was overwhelmed. I almost cried on the podium, because we had 400 and some odd people there.”
For Strong and the other organisers, the large turnout was important for creating more trans visibility in the area.
“It was awesome, and it’s showing that we’re people.
“We’re not just a label that has the word ‘trans’ in front of it.
“We are very diverse, amazing, powerful people and we need to have this kind of stuff showcased,” they added.
It was the first ever trans march in the city after the Pride organisation faced discrimination for refusing to hold the event the year prior.
A number of people reportedly felt like the normal Pride event did not have space for trans people or people of colour.
Strong explained that these groups were still feeling marginalised, so this separate march was an important step to building bridges between the two.
“Lesbians and gays have kind of benefited from a long, sometimes arduous fight, you know, to get the rights that they have, and in the meantime, trans people and … queer people of colour have been kind of left by the wayside,” they said.
“That’s so, so important to people that feel like they’ve been marginalised or left out.
“They have their voice and they’re able to use it. I’m so proud of them.”
Despite the overall success of the event, a 22-year-old trans person was allegedly arrested prior to the start of the march for filming a police officer who clashed with opposing protest groups.
