“Gay rights are human rights”

Throughout the year, the Law Society organizes a series of symposiums and public education programs with various legal community partners that focus on equality issues. The purpose of these programs is to create dialogue between the public and the legal professions relating to the rights and needs of equality-seeking communities.

Earlier this week, I attended the 17th edition of the Law Society/SOGIC Pride event. SOGIC stands for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Section of the Ontario Bar Association, and I would like to thank their members for partnering with the Law Society in the planning of this year’s program. Together we have worked diligently for the inclusion of LGBT lawyers in the legal profession.

Next week, my term as Treasurer comes to an end and I was particularly honoured to bring opening remarks at this event on the occasion of World Pride. This long-standing tradition of marking Pride week and celebrating our diversity started when former Treasurer Harvey Strosberg held the first Pride reception here in Osgoode Hall seventeen years ago.

Things were very different seventeen years ago and Canada has come a long way since then. I can’t think of a better occasion to celebrate marriage equality and a society that has become more accepting and inclusive; we do have much to be proud of.

But even though we have made progress, there is still more work to be done in advancing transgender rights and equal opportunities for all. We must continue to be vigilant in protecting LGBTQ rights in Canada and cannot allow ourselves to rest on our laurels.

The Law Society’s role in advancing the rule of law and human rights both at home and abroad is important and must continue. No person should have to die, be jailed or exiled from their home country for who they are. The right to be who you are and love whom you choose, free from persecution and intolerance should be viewed as a set of unalienable human rights. Because as Hilary Clinton famously said, “Gay rights are human rights.”