Tess Williams, APSA board member and volunteer for the Salary and Benefits Committee, has been collaborating with an SFU faculty member and grad students on a Trans Equity survey. This survey will produce key data in order to more clearly identify gender-diverse inequity at SFU and hopefully lay a foundation for better communication among 2SLGBTQIA+ staff.

Tess hopes this work could potentially build a community similar to the queer faculty network, with the end goal of better support for marginalized people.

What is the survey about?

With current world events, transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit, and other gender-diverse people have good reason to question if their safety and inclusion are prioritized at SFU. (In this survey, we use the word “trans,” intending to be inclusive while acknowledging that some gender-diverse people do not identify with the term, though they may face similar issues at our institution.) Inspired by the work of groups like Out on Campus and of individual trans community members and allies, we would like to identify opportunities for mutual support, collaboration, ally-ship, and resource-sharing regarding trans equity.

Who would we like to complete the survey?

Colleagues and friends who are members of the SFU community (i.e., staff, students, faculty, alumni) and who are committed to supporting measures to improve equity and inclusion of trans people at SFU.

If interested, please contact Tess_Williams@sfu.ca to receive a link to the survey in the near future.

The APSA board has approved the sending of this message to APSA members as a part of our commitment to inclusivity, equity, and support for underrepresented members of our community.