The Ottawa Trans Library recently brought together dozens of members of Ottawa’s queer community to share a meal and the love of soup — all part of the Hintonburg book hub’s mission to serve as a safe and welcoming social space.
OTL hosts numerous events aimed at the city’s transgender population, including poetry night and music jams. There’s a board game gathering on Thursday this week (April 2) and both zine-making and poetry readings are scheduled for Saturday (April 4). ,
A potluck-style soup night was held Feb. 27 at the library, just three months after its debut on Nov. 30. Sophie McCarrell, a volunteer for the space, said “I’m hoping maybe we’ll do it once a month” in the future.
McCarrell explained that soup night was a collective effort from volunteers at the library. “There was a process, but a lot of (what) made it happen was simply encouraging each other that it was a good idea,” she said.
The event sparked conversations among those who turned out, said attendee Jeanne Klodt. Topics ranged from personal experiences, to soup preferences, to tips on saving grocery money.
But McCarrell said the event was mostly about wanting to simply “share food with others.”
“Also, we know many trans people struggle to make or get access to wholesome, healthy food,” she said.
This perspective was shared amongst event organizers and those who came as attendees.
“Such an important part of the community is, like, actually feeding your people,” said Klodt.
The library also held its second annual Trans Day of Snacks gathering on March 29, just ahead of this year’s International Day of Trans Visibility on March 31.
“With heightened visibility and trans lives being threatened globally, being in community with other trans people can be life-altering/saving,” the library website stated in its invitation for the snack social.
The documented history of transgender people in Ottawa, which can be explored at the Trans Ottawa website, goes back 50 years — and it all started with a three-person support group.
In 1971, female-to-male transgender activist Rupert Raj attempted to publicly advertise a group for “transvestite” Ottawa citizens, a term historically used to demean trans people.
The Ottawa Citizen and the Ottawa Journal both refused the ad, leaving Raj to write about it in GOInfo — the newsletter published by Gays of Ottawa, then the city’s main LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. The newsletter article attracted the attention of two trangender women, leading to the creation of Ottawa’s first transgender support group.
Ottawa felt an assertive push for change from the LGBTQ+ community in 1971. On Aug. 28, 1971, the city’s queer community took to Parliament Hill for a landmark protest for the liberation of gays and lesbians. “We Demand” has been described as Canada’s first demonstration calling for civil rights for queer people.
Transgender individuals were largely left out of the demonstration. This was in part due to safety risks that were more serious for trans people and partially due to biases within the queer community at the time.
Seven years later, Raj founded the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Transexuals — FACT — as an effort to educate and forge community among transgender individuals in Canada.
By the end of the 20th century, several groups offering supportive outreach had formed in the city, including the Metropolitan Community Church, Pink Triangle Services and Gender Mosaic.
Over half a century later, support collectives for transgender individuals in Ottawa are still on the rise, with spaces like the Ottawa Trans Library opening only four years ago.
Tara Syniewski founded the library to house literature containing trans history and perspectives. OTL describes itself as “a community library and social space.”
On its website, the library states: “Oppressed people have always needed spaces where they can be safe, gather, meet new people and talk.”
