Fighting institutionalized homophobia and transphobia one harness at a time!
Activest started as a pun. I am a trans non-binary teacher in Ontario. I created a vest for all of my social justice buttons and the Activest was born. I started making strap-on harnesses as a way to support my equity practices within my own school board. To date there are many school boards across Ontario that do not have a trans inclusion policy. This is leaving many well meaning teachers and principals to make up the rules that they think are best for trans students. Unfortunately with little guidance this usually does more harm than good for trans students. This is where Activest comes in! I am working with my school board to ensure that all teachers have a proper education with how to best support trans and gender non-conforming students. I am looking to extend this to other school boards around the province. Specifically focusing of school boards that serve rural populations because they are currently the most under served, leaving trans and gender non-conforming youth vulnerable. Presentations like these not only can make individual student lives better but can also change school climates for all students
There are many other organizations outside of schools also needing support. Every month I donate a portion of proceeds to various LGBTQ+ organizations.