This section is still awaiting development. We are hoping to develop a list of trans-friendly lawyers and institutions in the province, as well as information about important legal precedents. Any information you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Local Legal Resources
National (Canadian) Resources
International Legal Resources
Transgender History and Legal Precedents
TransActivism, Today

Local Legal Resources

National (Canadian) Resources

Changing Legal Gender Assignment in Canada -- Wikipedia entry.
TransAlliance Society -- Provincial organization in British Columbia

International Legal Resources

Legal Aspects of Transsexualism -- Wikipedia entry chronicling many Transgender legal battles internationally, including the U.S. Very little Canadian info at the moment.
National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) -- A social justice organization (U.S.) dedicated to advancing the equality of transgender people through advocacy, collaboration and empowerment.
Transgender Law Center -- A California-based resource.
Transgender rights associations around the world -- Wikipedia entry; very little Canadian info as yet.

Transgender History and Legal Precedents

History:
List of Transgendered Individuals -- Wikipedia entry listing including famous persons both modern and historical. (noticed omissions: Jaye Davidson, and one of the Wachkowskis who recently began transitioning; list also goes on to include a section of fictional and mythological characters)
circa 1930, Magnus Hirschfeld and his associates complete first recorded sex-change operations, in pre-Nazi Germany. One of the best-known from this time is Lili Elbe. His Institute and researches are later destroyed during the Nazi rise to power. His work and his defense of gay lifestyles was frequently cited in anti-semitic literature at the time and used to "justify" the pending genocide.
1948-1954, Harry Benjamin begins to develop the Standards of Care for transgendered persons, and coins the term "transsexual" when his work goes public in 1954.
1952, Christine Jorgensen attains widespread notoriety as one of earliest transwomen to complete sex reassignment surgery.
Compton's Cafeteria Riot (San Francisco, 1966) -- Wikipedia Entry
Stonewall Riots (New York, 1969) -- considered the birth of the Gay Liberation movement; Wikipedia entry
Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002) -- early transgender activist; Wikipedia entry. Many accounts at that time state that it was she who had initiated the Stonewall riots -- but this has also been contested and denied by writers since, mostly to justify the Gay community's abandonment of transgender causes in the mid-'70s.
1977, Renee Richards has ban overturned which had prevented her from playing tennis in U.S. Open as a woman.
Patrick Califia (1952-present) -- Writer on women's sexuality and alternate lifestyles, as well as erotic fiction, essays and poetry. Previously well-known in the lesbian community, where he championed many causes and wrote extensively... although he has been somewhat abandoned by said community since transitioning.
Georgina Beyer (1957-present) -- New Zealand's (and the world's) first transsexual mayor (1995) and member of parliament (1999)
2002, Gwen Araujo is murdered... activism and publicity surrounding the court case eventually leads to legislation (Justice for Victims Act; California, U.S.) which opposes a defendant's use of societal bias against their victim in order to decrease their own culpability for a crime.

TransActivism, Today

Ongoing Activities:

Transgender Day of Remembrance -- The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. (See also the Vancouver TDOR Yahoo Group)
NCTE's 52 Things You Can Do For Transgender Equality -- "Each week during 2006, we will feature an idea for action that you can take at a local level. Some will be challenging, some will be simple; all are effective ideas and we will include links, resources and thoughts to help you get started. Some are things you can do on your own, while others are ideas for local groups to work on."

Current Battles:

July 2006: Christina Sforza is beaten with a lead pipe in a McDonald's washroom by the restaurant manager, and is denied the ability to press charges or to retrieve her medication for diabetes.