RNAO marks Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31)

On Transgender Day of Visibility, RNAO reaffirms its celebration of individuals who identify as transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit and/or gender diverse. Nurses across all health sectors and settings continue to provide and advocate for barrier-free and gender-affirming care to ensure everyone feels safe, welcome and understood.

RNAO remains committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the nursing profession, the health system, schools, and society-at-large. The association is unwavering in its commitment to work alongside health partners, elected officials and individuals with lived experience to create and foster safe spaces for 2SLGBTQI+ community members (visit the 2SLGBTQI+ and RNAO In Focus web page for more details).

In Canada, our core human rights protections and shared values of acceptance should allow everyone to feel safe to be their authentic self, wherever they live, work or study. RNAO stands firmly against those using the human rights of others to advance their own troubling agendas.

In the U.S., President Trump has rallied his base by rolling back transgender protections, banning trans people from the military, and framing gender-affirming policies as threats to traditional values. In Canada, right-wing groups use transgender rights as a wedge in the culture wars – fueling polarization under the banner of “parental rights” and “anti-woke” rhetoric. Politicians like Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and former New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs have introduced policies restricting pronoun use and gender-affirming care for youth. Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has echoed these themes, opposing “radical gender ideology” in schools and claiming he knows of only “two genders – male and female.”

Now more than ever, it is critical for Canadians to head to the polls on April 28 to cast a vote that sends a powerful message of safety and acceptance – not discrimination. RNAO’s federal election platform outlines recommendations, including the need for the next government to “address issues of representation, economic participation, discrimination, violence and access to justice for equity-deserving groups, such as women, people with disabilities, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples and people under the 2SLGBTQI+ umbrella.”

RNAO’s best practice guideline Promoting 2SLGBTQI+ Health Equity has recommendations for nurses and other health professionals to ensure that trans and other equity-deserving populations consistently receive appropriate, inclusive care. It aims to redress the fact that trans people can struggle to access adequate and appropriate heath care, including routine services unrelated to trans status.

RNAO members are encouraged to join RNAO’s Rainbow Nursing Interest Group (RNIG) to continue to advocate for nursing practice and environments that support all people who identify as gender or sexually diverse.If you are transgender or gender-questioning, know that RNAO celebrates you and will always stand with you.