INVISIBLE PARENTS CLUB: A JOURNEY
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SimplyGoodForm
- May 17, 2020
- 1 min
Breaking the silence: IDAHTB 2020
Today is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. And there are events happening all around the world to help celebrate gender and sexual diversities and being aware of the importance in standing up and speaking out against discrimination, harassment and violence. Pflag Halifax and Pflag Truro have created a NS Strong pride decal and are giving away 200 today to anyone would would like to 'fly a flag' all year round and show their support and solidarity
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SimplyGoodForm
- Mar 1, 2020
- 5 min
Like a lion
While March is drifting in like a lamb, both Simply Good Form and Pflag Halifax has been working like lions. This past month was filled with youth-friendly inclusion-fostering events; inspiring meaningful conversations towards ending gender-based stigma. The idea of 'March coming in like a lion or a lamb,' made me think about the origin of my child's name this morning. When my transgender son transitioned at the age of 10-years-old, aside from his hair having slowly transiti
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SimplyGoodForm
- Dec 17, 2019
- 3 min
Accessing Inclusive Healthcare: Waitlisted
In Canada, access to healthcare is considered a human right. Here in Nova Scotia, accessing healthcare is challenging, frustrating and can be dehumanizing, due to a critical shortage in family general practitioners. This allocates transgender patients, looking for gender affirming healthcare, at a serious disadvantage and creates a fundamental barrier to the human right of gender identity and gender expression. While not all trans patients wish to access affirming hormone the
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SimplyGoodForm
- Oct 18, 2019
- 2 min
Inclusion at the polls: Tips for those working the election this Monday
A few short days until voting stations open across the country. My eldest child is still several months away from being able to cast their own vote. They've strong opinions and are actively engaged in the conversation. They just won't have their say this time around. My youngest... several years away still. I can't help wondering about the level of sensitivity training those working the poll stations have received? Because one day, my child will be old enough to vote. An
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SimplyGoodForm
- Apr 23, 2019
- 3 min
Making a splash: Swimwear for transgender and non-binary youth
Summer is coming and we're all thinking about making a splash. For parents and guardians of gender diverse and transgender children -- this one's for you. Supporting our kiddos isn't just about selecting the right pattern and style at Walmart. There's more to consider in ensuring body positivity rules -- like ensuring the right coverage also equals comfort and support. I first wrote this article in 2019 and it's now 2021 and summer couldn't be MORE in demand after another win
2,036 views
SimplyGoodForm
- Apr 2, 2019
- 3 min
What's it mean? Caring for Gender Dysphoric, Non-binary and Transgender youth into adulthood
It's been a heavy week. A week of emotions and learning and watching healthcare practitioners, social workers, psychologist and frontline heath-care workers come together to learn about caring for gender dysphoric, non-binary and transgender youth. The second annual IWK Trans Health Symposium took place in Halifax on March 28 and 29th, 2019 where more than 70 healthcare workers from all over the Maritimes gathered to learn about 'Integrated care for gender dysphoric, gender n
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SimplyGoodForm
- Jan 28, 2019
- 1 min
Trans lives worth more than greenbacks
I love this story. It's about children and a children's organization - one that was in serious need of financial support - standing up for what's right. Greenbacks or no greenbacks. Trans lives matters and transgender girls being apart of Girl Scouts matters. Greenbacks were a paper currency (printed in green on the back) issued by the United States during the American Civil War. When I read about a mystery donor or mystery organization willing to donate a substantial contri
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SimplyGoodForm
- Nov 13, 2018
- 6 min
Trans Awareness Week: Myth Debunking
Updated Feb. 20 2021 before our 3rd annual 2021 Inclusive Classes Read Nova Scotia event: As part of #TransAwareness Week, Nov. 12th - 19th, let us examine a few harmful myths still circulating in 2018. Since 2016 North America saw the first openly trans employee hired in the White House, they called it a' Transgender Tipping Point' when Laverne Cox made the cover of Time magazine and up North in Canada, we passed Bill C-16 in June 2018, creating a new law which explicitly pr
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SimplyGoodForm
- Nov 12, 2018
- 4 min
Trans Awareness Week Nov.12-19th
November 12th to 19th is Transgender Awareness Week and we'd like to inspire positive conversation in support of our trans communities across Canada and around the world. Fun Fact: Trans youth exist. I'm a parent of one. And, if I had a loonie for every time I heard, 'How can your child possibly know at THEIR age?'... I'd be writing this from a much nicer chaise in a much hotter climate. Perhaps the presumptions are: a trans person wakes up one day...when they're in their lat
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SimplyGoodForm
- Oct 27, 2018
- 1 min
The inside track on Gender Affirmative Care: 'The (trans) kids are all right'
Canadian trans health specialist, award winning author and Toronto-based therapist, Kai Cheng Thom strongly believes in the importance of gender-affirming health care for trans and gender-nonconforming (GNC) children and youth. Here, using her experience and insightful background, she eloquently breaks down the differences in historical and current ideologies of care for trans and GNC youth: The (trans) kids are all right: What gender-affirming health care really means For m
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SimplyGoodForm
- Oct 26, 2018
- 1 min
Macleans: Trans people cannot be erased. We have always existed, and will continue to live.
When I began my transition, I thought that education and awareness could gradually deconstruct transphobia. I assumed that most people were working through new concepts around gender, and would eventually become less transphobic. I was wrong. #wontbeerased #inclusionmatters #inclusion #transrights
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SimplyGoodForm
- Oct 26, 2018
- 5 min
Our own kind of beautiful won't be erased
A top the staircase in our home in Ireland, there hung a canvased photo of our children running into the sea - the rolling atlantic mid-summer waves of Martinique Beach in Nova Scotia, to be exact. They were ages 4, 6 and 8 when the first photo was taken. Above the photo in captioned wall stencil read the words: 'Be your own kind of beautiful' Children are fearless. And full of wonder. This was the last image they'd see as they climbed the staircase on their way to bed. It wa
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SimplyGoodForm
- Oct 18, 2018
- 7 min
Q&A on Pediatricians support and care policy for Trans and Gender Diverse Kids
If you're a parent, it's simple. You know caring for and supporting your children is fundamental. We all want our kids to be happy, healthy, safe... and accepted. It's the same if you're a parent of a gender questioning or trans child. You want them to be happy, healthy and safe. If you're not a parent of a transgender or gender diverse child (GDC), you likely don't know how challenging it is to get the support needed. It is rarely easy, always exhausting and support is ofte
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SimplyGoodForm
- Oct 9, 2018
- 4 min
Making HRCE Schools Safer for transgender and gender diverse children
An inclusive new policy to support transgender and gender diverse students is being rolled out this month in schools across Nova Scotia. And here's why we're excited about it... What's New: This new policy enables families with elementary level children who identify as transgender or gender diverse (GNC) and also adolescents in Jr. High to update their name and gender identity within the School Information System (PowerSchool) with OR without legally supporting documents. Stu
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SimplyGoodForm
- Sep 27, 2018
- 5 min
Day 476: Forgiveness
I know it's not just me. I'm always learning from my kids. Growing. Trying to become better. Since the start of a new school year in a brand new school, this September has been quiet. And I like quiet. It's safe. My son has stuck closely to his very best buddy, we'll call him Mark. They're both in the same class and together they're a giggling dynamic duo. And sometimes that's just enough. They were enough to make a full 12th birthday party. They were enough to make a fun pi
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SimplyGoodForm
- Sep 21, 2018
- 2 min
Ally Alert: Help ban conversion therapy in Canada
Wondering how you can support children across Canada who identify as transgender, gender diverse and make your country more inclusive? Want to be an ally of the LGBTQ2 community? Here's a super easy Citizen Challenge to support children and teens coast to coast. All in a quick but powerful click of your mouse... Here is a petition to ban conversion therapy on minors in Canada. Some provinces have already issued legislation to ban the harmful practice that involves trying to
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SimplyGoodForm
- Sep 21, 2018
- 3 min
Day 366: A look from the outside-in
Photographer|Mom|Ally-Awesome I knew she could shoot. Her photo essays and creative portraitures blew me away the first time I saw them. But Lyndsay Doyle is so much more. The universe, it does work in mysterious ways, and sometimes we're just destined to meet someone. Someone who will go out of their way to see us and help us be seen. Thanks Lyndsay for being apart of our journey. One that we're quietly sharing. Slowly. Thanks for your powerful words, citizenship and kindnes
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SimplyGoodForm
- Sep 20, 2018
- 6 min
Day 1: trans . formation
In the early days, I used to I feel like I had fallen down the rabbit hole. In many ways, that is exactly what happened to us all. Each one of us began a journey that centred around one very important member of our family. And their journey was to be completely different from our own. But, we would need to be united if we were to survive the journey and thrive. I'm your average harried mother. Most days something surprises me on my calendar of life; juggling two jobs, extrac
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SimplyGoodForm
- Sep 15, 2018
- 3 min
NS bans conversion therapy: most progressive 2SLGBTIQ+ legislation in Canada
On September 11th the Nova Scotia Department of Justice introduced some powerful legislation prohibiting the use of a discriminatory and harmful therapy that attempts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity 2SLGBTIQ+ youth and adolescents. Known as Reparative or Conversion Therapy, this harmful practice of trying to 'fix a person' identifying as transgender or gender non-conforming (GNC), has been proven to cause harm, disrespects a persons human rights and is qui
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