'Still more work to do': First person in Canada with gender-neutral passport reacts to day of awareness
One of the first people in Canada to get a gender-neutral 'X' on their passport says Canada has come a long way, but there is still more work to be done.
Gemma Hickey spoke with CTV's Maralee Caruso on the 18th Annual International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. They say it is a day of awareness, recognition and celebration.
"But it is also a reminder to people out there, especially our allies, that we still have more to do. It is days like today where we can rally together as a nation to do just that," Hickey told Caruso.
"I'm so proud to be Canadian, I just have to say, because there are other parts of the world (where) homosexuality is still criminalized. Transgender people like myself can be murdered.”
They said while there has been a lot of advances – such as the end to the blood ban – they said more changes are needed.
"(There is) lots to celebrate but still more work to do."
Watch the full interview with Gemma Hickey to hear what they say needs to happen next in Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.