OTTAWA – In recognition of Florence Ashley’s commitment to advancing the cause of equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and two-spirited people with the Canadian legal profession, the Canadian Bar Association is awarding them the SOGIC – Hero Award. The award will be presented to Florence Ashley at the CBA’s President’s Dinner on February 12, 2019 in Ottawa.
Quote:
“Florence Ashley’s legal scholarship, their serving as a role model and their engagement in educating the public on transgender issues contributes significantly to the cause of LGBTT people. They inspire others to serve trans communities through their legal work. Thei contributions to newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts and as a guest lecturer has helped Canadians to better understand the lived realities of trans people. Their academic achievements and their commitment to the advancement of LGBTQ2 equality is commendable.”
- CBA President, Ray Adlington
Quick facts:
- This year, Florence Ashley will serve as the first known openly transgender clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada working in the chambers of the Honourable Justice Sheilah Martin.
- They graduated in 2017 with a Masters in Law (LLM), Bioethics Specialisation from McGill University, and is writing their Thesis entitled “Torture Isn’t Therapy”: The Legality of Transgender Conversion Therapy in Canada.
- In 2013 they obtained their Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL/LLB) from McGill University and is a Member of McGill’s Golden Key Honour Society.
- They are an LGBTQ2 community advocate, guest lecturer and author of numerous publications on transgender issues.
- They are the recipient of numerous awards including: the McGill Research Group on Health and Law, Fellowship (2018-2019); the Start Proud Student Leadership Scholarship (2018); the SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Graduate Scholarship, Master’s Scholarship (2018-2019) and the Bourse Dorais-Ryan, Graduate Scholarship (2017).
- In 2017-2018, they were the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Poverty Law and the Head French Editor for Contours – Voices of Women in Law at McGill University from (2016-2017).
- They are currently a member of the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Vocabulary of the Bureau Québécois de la langue française and have held various positions with the Trans Legal Clinic of Montreal.
Related links:
The CBA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Section (SOGIC) – Hero Award
The Canadian Bar Association
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About the CBA
The CBA is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement and the administration of justice. Some 36,000 lawyers, notaries in Quebec, law teachers and law students from across Canada are members.