Local advocate Gemma Hickey has been elected president of the provincial Liberals’ newly formed 2SLGBTQIA+ commission.

Hickey, who has run for the provincial Liberals in the past, says the goal of the commission is to help support inclusion and diversity within the party and the broader community.

Hickey says they are “pumped” to begin work on the commission, noting they are essentially building it from the ground up.

They say such a group is necessary because of attacks and hate that is still being seen around the world towards the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Hickey believes it is stemming from the United States. They say when former President Donald Trump was elected people who are against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community felt like they had a platform to express their views and mobilize people.

They recall how the word transgender wasn’t widely used while growing up, and how scared and alone they felt. They say progress has been made, but kids are still feeling that way which is why it is important for the party to represent the entire community.