It's close to 20 years since I came out as transgender and eight since I came out as non-binary. It's been a long road, but I try not to be discouraged. The amount of proper pronouns and gendering I receive daily hasn't changed much in two decades. I face barriers in every official system I interact with and that's as a working-class settler raised on Treaty 7 territory who can do a pretty good middle-class drag if I need to. I can't work in the arts industry without facing discrimination or a lack of understanding of how to hold space for gender variant people.

Yet, I love people and I love music. The connections I make with others are what keeps me coming back to play shows, collaborate, run my record label, learn from other artists, mentor up-and-coming creatives, and share my experiences. I can't connect with people if I don't keep my heart open. There are barriers for so many artists in this industry evidenced by who is most showcased at festivals, in theatres and at art galleries. Part of staying optimistic is devoting my time to try to get resources and platforms for amazing artists that don't have an easy path built into the system.

March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility. It's a day intended to celebrate transgender people and their contributions to society and raise awareness about discrimination we face. The term is contentious with many transgender people because of the use of the word "international" and the lack of voice allowed to people from certain locations, races and classes; others have difficulty with the idea of visibility because many trans people are not visible in their everyday lives and may not feel safe becoming so. Regardless, I'm proud of who gender variant people are and believe that every celebration is well deserved. I don't agree with "come out" culture, capitalist pride, or LGBTQ nationalism. Read more via CBC