Pride Champion: Dani Gomez-Ortega

Why is pride important to you?

While Pride is a time to celebrate how far we've come in advancing 2SLGBTQ+ rights, it is also a time for us to reflect how far we still need to go as a community to be more inclusive of people across margins.

Is there someone or some event that was central in your experience as a 2SLGBTQ+ community member?

Growing up trans without exposure to other trans people, I felt like there was something wrong with me. However that changed when I met another trans person for the first time, Enza Anderson, a Toronto journalist, activist, and politician. Seeing her as a strong, confident and successful woman showed me the possibility of what I could be, and it opened the doors to my gender journey and self acceptance.

Why were we lucky enough for you to agree to this series? Why did you want to do it?

Growing up as a trans person, I struggled with not seeing people like me, however many activists before me fought long and hard for our right to be seen. I wanted to honour their efforts by taking this opportunity to be seen, and acknowledge the contributions that trans students, alumni, staff, and faculty make everyday on our campus to make Toronto Metropolitan University great.