New display: Transgender Rights in Canada and British Columbia

Visitors to the Law Library will now be greeted by a new display featuring some of the UVic Library’s special collections. The display is focused on Transgender Rights in Canada and British Columbia and features archival material from the UVic Transgender Archives, books from the shelves of the law library, and QR codes leading to some of the online resources that UVic libraries has to offer.

The archival materials on display focus on Vancouver Rape Relief Society vs. Nixon. The case centred on a human rights complaint filed by Kimberley Nixon against Vancouver Rape Relief Society (VRRS) alleging that they discriminated against Nixon and prohibited her from volunteering on the basis of her being a transgender woman. Nixon was represented by barbara findlay, KC, a lesbian-feminist lawyer who has represented LGBTQ+ people in a number of landmark cases. The barbara findlay fonds feature prominently within the display.

Though Nixon ultimately lost her case on appeal, it remains a significant event in the development of transgender rights in British Columbia and Canada. It assisted in establishing that “sex” as defined within the Human Rights Code protects transgender people in British Columbia. It also encouraged women’s groups across Canada to adopt trans-inclusive policies.

Materials regarding the Nixon case are accompanied by materials from the Caroline White fonds. These materials highlight the dialogue that took place amongst transgender advocates and feminists in the late 1990s and early 2000s about the acceptance of transgender women within women’s spaces, including women’s organizations, shelters, and resource centres. Caroline White is a social justice trainer and educator who played a significant role in facilitating dialogue between transgender women and cisgender feminists.

Accompanying the items from special collections featured in the glass display are a number of materials on the display on the wall shelves. These include copies of Vancouver Rape Relief Society vs. Nixon from all levels of the course, as well as copies of the factums featured in the display. The wall also features books from the Law Library and QR codes leading to online materials, all related to the subject of transgender rights in Canada, the United States, and beyond

transgender rights display

transgender rights display

The Law Library would like to thank work study student Layne Clarke for creating this new display and writing this post!

Online Research Supports

Working on your research paper? Don’t forget that the Law Library has many online resources to support your research.

The A-Z Subject List: Key Legal Treatises and Textbooks Research Guide provides the leading treatises and textbooks on many different topics in law.   This Research Guide is an excellent starting point for finding key secondary sources on many of the main subjects of law, as textbooks offer a broad overview of a subject, while treatises offer an in-depth analysis including detailed footnotes on leading cases and scholarly sources.

The Law Library also has over 30 subject specific research guides.  Research Guides provide lists of books, databases, articles and websites related to a particular subject.

Working on your citations? Check out our citation help page.  This page provides links to useful online citation guides as well as other important citation information such as how to cite Indigenous sources.

The Law Library also has Legal Research Videos.  These short video tutorials provide steps and tips that will help you conduct legal research including noting-up cases, using secondary sources and locating Canadian federal and provincial (BC) legislation.

If you have any questions… remember, we’re here to help you.  To book an appointment with a law librarian visit: https://libcal.uvic.ca/appointments/ResearchHelp?g=5279