Join BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) on Monday, July 14th from 10:30am to 11:30am PDT for the next episode of the Beyond the Headlines discussion series. Register for this live webinar here!
How can we address the most important issues facing British Columbians while keeping human rights in focus? To help answer this question, B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner is hosting a series of conversations with leading experts from across the country in the Beyond the Headlinesdiscussion series.
Beyond the Headlines takes a deeper dive into the human rights issue facing the province right now, drawing from the Commissioner’s landmark Rights in Focus: Lived Realities in B.C. report, which provides a snapshot of inequities in 10 key systems.
As many communities celebrate Pride season across B.C., we all have a right to be free from discrimination based on who we are and who we love. In this third Beyond the Headlines episode, Commissioner Kasari Govender has invited author and illustrator, Jessica Love, to do a reading of her children’s book, Julian is a Mermaid, and participate in a conversation about the joy of exploring identity and the rights that young people have to be their full, authentic selves. The conversation will also include BC Library Association’s Summer Children/Youth reading club coordinator, Georgia Franklin, to discuss the importance of exploring identity through stories in the British Columbia context.
Members of the LGBTQ2SAI+ community have a right to thrive and to have their human dignity recognized, represented and respected, as we all do, a message echoed in BCOHRC’s Rights in Focus report. Despite this, the LGBTQ2SAI+ community has been increasingly targeted by discrimination and hate speech, with hate incidents on the rise in Canada, the United States and elsewhere. Protecting the rights of the LGBTQ2SAI+ community, particularly those of children and youth, is of critical importance in the current climate. Moving away from the divisive rhetoric that puts young people and their wellbeing at risk, this event intends to celebrate the joy of identity and promote acceptance as young people discover themselves and who they are.
The Commissioner and her guests will discuss crucial questions such as:
- What inspired Jessica Love to write Julian is a Mermaid and what has been the reception?
- Why is it important to reflect diverse experiences of identity exploration in children’s literature?
- How is story telling an important tool for promoting human rights and the depth of human experience?
- How do we support and celebrate our young people in the education system and broader communities, including in the public library network?
- Why is this discussion so important right now?
They will also respond to audience questions throughout the live discussion.
We invite you to join us on July 14th from 10:30am to 11:30am by registering for this live webinar event here.
Please share this event throughout your networks and spread the word to your friends, families and communities!
Thinking about getting some friends together for a “watch party”? Tag us on social media so we can celebrate together! The discussion will also be livestreamed on the BCOHRC website at bchumanrights.ca/beyond-the-headlines. Please note that questions will only be accepted from registered Zoom webinar participants.