A month ago the city of Ottawa was bathed in the vibrant light of rainbows and glitter as it celebrated 30 years of gay pride.
The 2015 Ottawa Capital Pride Parade flooded through the streets of Centretown, transforming the community into a celebratory hub of diversity, acceptance and love.
Danielle-Andreé Paquette was one of the flag-bearers on the transgendered float. She said this year’s parade shone a spotlight on the transgendered community.
“The fact that the trans float was the first float in the parade, and one of the biggest, was a major step forward. I don’t think that’s ever happened at the pride parade that trans people were first and foremost. We are always forgotten. All this time we’ve been there, somewhere, but never acknowledged to this level,” said Paquette.
The trend of transgender people appearing in the spotlight is relatively recent, but it has gained huge momentum.
In popular culture, Netflix original shows such as Orange is the New Black and Sense 8 have helped transgendered actors and characters become more mainstream.
But it doesn’t stop there.
With Oscar buzz around two new films which were shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, the hype around transgendered people has even hit the big screen. The films The Danish Girl and About Ray both present unique stories which should help to spark a conversation about transgendered issues.
Even local radio shows are highlighting transgendered issues. Hot 89.9’s new contest, The New Normal aims to share transgendered people’s stories. The winner will receive $40,000.
According to Hot 89.9’s website “The New Normal is all about accepting everyone. This is what the new normal should be. Acceptance for all. Period. Everyone of us breathes the same air. We’re all normal.”
Broadcasting these stories on air, and later posting them online, is intended to ignite a discussion on what it means to be transgendered.
The only way for society to change is by having a conversation, sharing ideals and learning how to accept one another.
Although the representation transgendered people are receiving via various art forms is an excellent first step, more needs to be done.
Transgendered people can still face discrimination in almost all aspects of their daily lives. There is no definitive way to change the process of public thought, but increased media visibility through television, movies and radio will certainly help.
“Pride is a national celebration,” said Paquette. “We are a nation and we are individuals within that nation. We celebrate who we are and our identity.”
If the celebration is going to continue then the media hype around transgendered people, such as Caitlyn Jenner, must evolve from mere fascination to active lobbying for change.
The Pride parade can light the fire but it takes more than a few floats to feed the flames of social change.