The emotional pain and frustration of dealing with a system that does not always uniformly address a person’s name and identity is what trans youth in this province have identified as one of the key issues they face. That is part of what is outlined in the Child and Youth Advocate’s latest report on trans youth in the province.

Among the key findings, after speaking to gender diverse young people across the province, was the importance of having their names respected, correctly recorded and used consistently.

Consulting with students is key, according to advocate Jackie Lake Kavanagh who says many of the young people they spoke to experienced widespread inconsistency in name polices and practices from school to school.

One young person told her that they changed their name legally last year, but their dead name was on their public exams, something they say was distracting and threw them off.

Access to safe washrooms was another concern, as was lack of understanding and not having a curriculum that reflects their circumstances.

View the full report at this link.