More than 500 people, including newly elected MLA Darryl Plecas and Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman, show support for an expanded “Walk Away From Homophobia” event
More than 500 people took part in the Fraser Valley’s first Pride parade on May 25, 2013 — a turnout that its Abbotsford organizers celebrated as larger than expected. “We did not anticipate this big of a turnout!” co-organizer Cherese Reemaul told Xtra before taking the stage to address participants. “I’m a little bit overwhelmed.” (more…)
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth have well-documented health inequities, mostly attributable to societal stigma and marginalization and its related risks of rejection and violence, as well as lower social support. These health inequities include higher rates of mental health problems, including suicidality, sexual health issues, including STIs and teen pregnancy involvement, problem substance use, injuries, and foregone health care. They are more likely to become homeless, and face discrimination in education, employment, and housing. (source: 
The 2013 annual meeting of the 
Ted Chabasinski is an American psychiatric survivor, human rights activist and attorney who lives in Berkeley, California. At the age of six he was taken from his foster family’s home and committed to a New York psychiatric facility. Diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia he underwent intensive electroshock therapy (now termed electroconvulsive therapy or ECT) and remained an inmate in a state psychiatric hospital until the age of seventeen. He subsequently trained as a lawyer and became active in the psychiatric survivors movement. In 1982 he led a successful campaign seeking to ban the use of electroshock in Berkeley, California. (source: Wikipedia) 
“When your civil rights have been violated you don’t need a good hug—you need a good lawyer.” That’s what Paul Caune has concluded after his experiences in trying to obtain adequate supports and accommodation in the province of British Columbia.
The Province of British Columbia’s new Family Law Act took effect on March 18, 2013, replacing the Family Relations Act, which has governed family law in the province for the past 35 years. The new Act makes a number of significant changes to the law which, it is hoped, will better protect women’s equality, safety, and rights in family law cases. It includes a range of legal changes to areas such as property rights, family violence, protecting children, and dispute resolution. 