The following lectures, constituting the Master of Visual Studies Proseminar Winter 2023 series, are also open to outside attendees.

January 24, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Lydia Ourahmane
Co-presented by Mercer Union
Main Hall, Daniels Building, 1 Spadina Crescent

February 14, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Brett Story
Co-presented by Images Festival
Main Hall, Daniels Building, 1 Spadina Crescent

March 14, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Nasrin Himada
Co-presented by Images Festival
Main Hall, Daniels Building, 1 Spadina Crescent

March 21, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Alexis Kyle Mitchell
Main Hall, Daniels Building, 1 Spadina Crescent

The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto is excited to present its Winter 2023 Public Program.  

Through a series of exhibitions, lectures, book talks, panel discussions and symposia, we aim to foster dialogue and knowledge exchange among our local and international communities on important social, political and environmental challenges confronting our disciplines and the world today.  

Our Public Program this semester addresses a range of pertinent issues concerning the natural and built environments, including design and social justice, urbanization and housing, art and media, and ecology and landscape resilience. 

All events are free and open to the public. All lectures will be held in the Main Hall of the Daniels Building unless otherwise stated. Register in advance and check the calendar for up-to-date details at daniels.utoronto.ca/events.  

January 26, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Housing Multitudes Lecture: Freedom Schools for Accountable Architecture 
Featuring Jae Shin and Damon Rich (HECTOR) 
Moderated by Richard Sommer (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 
 
February 1, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Designing Black Spaces with Community Accountability  
Featuring Tura Cousins Wilson (Studio of Contemporary Architecture), Jessica Kirk (Wildseed Centre for Art and Activism) and Jessica Hines (Black Urbanism Toronto) 
Moderated by Anne-Marie Armstrong (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 
 
February 7, 12:30 p.m. ET  
Understanding and Predicting the Changing Environment in the Coming Decades 
Featuring Brian Leung (Department of Biology, McGill University)  
Moderated by Patrick James (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

February 9, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Book Launch—Innate Terrain: Canadian Landscape Architecture  
By Alissa North (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

February 14, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Exhibition Opening—Recent Work by Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA)  
Curated by Marina Tabassum, 2022-2023 Frank Gehry International Visiting Chair in Architectural Design (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

February 16, 6:30 p.m. ET 
George Baird Lecture: Becoming Frank Gehry  
Featuring Jean-Louis Cohen (The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University) 
Moderated by Jason Nguyen (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto)  

March 2, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Michael Hough/OALA Visiting Critic in Landscape Architecture Lecture: What Would Cornelia Do? 
Featuring Julie Bargmann (School of Architecture, University of Virginia) 
Moderated by Elise Shelley (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

March 7, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Phyllis Lambert: Observation Is a Constant That Underlies All Approaches 
Featuring Phyllis Lambert (Canadian Centre for Architecture) 
Moderated by Juan Du (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

March 14, 12:30 p.m. ET 
Civic Urbanism Without Borders 
Featuring Jeffery Hou (College of Built Environments, University of Washington)  
In collaboration with the Global Taiwan Studies Initiative at the Asian Institute, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto 

March 16, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Exhibition Opening—Resolutions for the Antarctic: International Stations & the Antarctic Data Space
Curated by UNLESS and featuring works by International Collaborators  

March 30, 6:30 p.m. ET 
Ruinophilia 
Featuring Lyndon Neri (Neri&Hu Design and Research Office) 
Moderated by Juan Du (Daniels Faculty, University of Toronto) 

Located in the heart of Canada’s biggest city, the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto offers graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, forestry and visual studies, as well as unique undergraduate programs that use architectural studies and visual studies as a lens through which students may pursue a broad, liberal arts-based education. Take a virtual look at everything we have to offer.
 

A tree planting and additions to Forestry’s commemorative Woodwall were on the program when the Daniels Faculty community gathered at the Earth Sciences Centre on November 24 to celebrate past and present forestry achievements. 

The ironwood tree (Ostrya virginiana) was planted in the Carolinian Forest Courtyard in honour of former professor Erik Jorgensen, who founded the University of Toronto’s Shade Tree Research Laboratory in the 1960s and is considered the father of urban forestry, a previously unexplored branch of forestry studies that he largely defined and promoted. 

Born in Denmark in 1921, Jorgensen and his colleagues at the Shade Tree Lab were especially instrumental in the study and control of Dutch Elm Disease (DED). Jorgensen passed away in 2012. 

Others honourees on the 24th included a dozen new additions to Forestry’s commemorative Woodwall, located inside the Earth Sciences Centre. Initiated in 2007, when Forestry at U of T celebrated its 100th birthday, the Woodwall recognizes illustrious alumni, faculty and staff on an artfully hung array of individual square wood plaques. 

The installation of the 12 new plaques — an initiative supported by Forestry’s Class of 1966 and led by alumnus Derek Coleman, who acquired his Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry that year — completes the current display.  

“Our increasing awareness that forestry reserves are key to mitigating climate change,” says Dean Juan Du, who attended both events and addressed attendees afterward, “makes forestry knowledge more important than ever. The research and instruction done in forestry at the University of Toronto has been vital in contributing to regional and national practices and policies. Now that our various forestry programs share a home with our programs in architecture, landscape architecture, visual studies and urban design, we have an opportunity to refine our educational and research approaches with a more comprehensive understanding of one environment, the natural alongside the built.” 

This perspective resonated with many in attendance, says Forestry Director Sandy Smith, who describes attendees as “a very receptive crowd of urban foresters who have been waiting for this opportunity to build on the beginnings of urban forestry at U o T.” 

“It was great to get together in person and to celebrate past achievements in urban forestry,” she adds. “Everyone who participated was excited by the new vision for forestry at Daniels shared by the Dean.” 

Among those on hand for the planting in the Carolinian Forest Courtyard, a studiously maintained space studded with native trees and shrubs, was Erik Jorgensen’s granddaughter, Stoney Baker.  

The names completing the Woodwall include Dr. Smith, Dr. Coleman, Dr. Shashi Kant, Dr. Sally Krigstin, Dr. Jay Malcolm, Deborah Paes, Fred Pinto, Dr. Danijela Puric-Mladenovic, Dr. Mohini Sain, Dr. Sean Thomas, Tony Ung and Amalia Veneziano. 

Image slideshow: 1. Attendees gather in the Earth Sciences Centre after the November 24 tree planting honouring former professor Erik Jorgensen, a pioneer of urban forestry. 2. Forestry Director Sandy Smith and alumnus Derek Coleman (Class of ’66) unveil the newest honourees on Forestry’s Woodwall, which recognizes illustrious alumni, faculty and staff both past and present. 3. Daniels Faculty Dean Juan Du addresses the gathering after both ceremonies. (Photos by Evan Donohue and George Wang)

Banner image: Erik Jorgensen’s granddaughter, Stoney Baker (holding shovel), joined Dean Du (third from right), Forestry Director Smith (second from right) and others for the tree planting ceremony in honour of her grandfather. Jorgensen founded the Shade Tree Research Laboratory at U of T in the 1960s. (Photo by Evan Donohue)

Monday, December 5 to Tuesday, December 20
Daniels Faculty Building,
1 Spadina Crescent, Toronto, Ontario 

Throughout December, students in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, visual studies and forestry will present final projects to their instructors. Students of the Daniels Faculty will also present to guest critics from both academia and the professional community in attendance. 

Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations is strongly encouraged, and UCheck continues to be available for uploading proof of vaccination. Please see the latest University of Toronto COVID-19 FAQS. 

Follow the Daniels Faculty @UofTDaniels on Instagram, and join the conversation using the hashtag #DanielsReviews22.
 

Monday, December 5 | Graduate

Design Studio I
LAN1011Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Behnaz Assadi (Coordinator), Pete North, Elnaz Sanati
Rooms: 230, 330

Tuesday, December 6 | Graduate

Design Studio I
ARC1011Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Vivian Lee (Coordinator), Fiona Lim Tung, Miles Gertler, Chris Cornecelli, Julia DiCastri, Carol Moukheiber, Tom Ngo
Rooms: 230, 330, Main Hall (170)

Wednesday, December 7 | Graduate

Intergraded Urbanism Studio
ARC2013Y, LAN2013Y, URD1011Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Roberto Damiani (Coordinator), Fadi Masoud (Coordinator), Michael Piper (Coordinator), Christos Marcopoulos, Aziza Chaouni, Laurence Holland, Drew Adams, George Baird, Lisa Rapoport, Jon Cummings, Natalia Echeverri, Rob Wright
Rooms: 215, 230, 240, 330

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Marina Tabassum
Room: 340

Thursday, December 8 | Graduate

Intergraded Urbanism Studio
ARC2013Y, LAN2013Y, URD1011Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Roberto Damiani (Coordinator), Fadi Masoud (Coordinator), Michael Piper (Coordinator), Christos Marcopoulos, Aziza Chaouni, Laurence Holland, Drew Adams, George Baird, Lisa Rapoport, Jon Cummings, Natalia Echeverri, Rob Wright
Rooms: 215, 230, 240, 330

Friday, December 9 | Graduate

Design Studio Options
LAN3016Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Ivan Valin
Room: 230

Design Studio Options
LAN3016Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Liz Wreford, Rob Wright
Rooms: 330

Tuesday, December 13 | Graduate & Undergraduate

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Jeannie Kim
Rooms: 230

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Zachary Mollica
Rooms: 330

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Brian Boigon
Rooms: 240

Architecture Studio III
ARC361Y1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Petros Babasikas (Coordinator), Shane Williamson, Carol Moukheiber
Rooms: Main Hall (170), 215

Capstone Project in Forest Conservation
FOR3008H
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Catherine Edwards
Rooms: 200

Wednesday, December 14 | Graduate & Undergraduate

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Petros Babasikas
Rooms: 330

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Shane Williamson
Rooms: 230

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Laura Miller
Rooms: 315, 340

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: John Shnier
Rooms: 1^st Floor Hallway

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Lukas Pauer
Rooms: 240

Architectural Design Studio 7:  Thesis
ARC4018Y
9 a.m.–1 p.m. ET

Instructors: Michael Piper, Miles Gertler, Reza Nik
Rooms: 209, 242

Landscape Architecture Studio III
ARC363Y1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Behnaz Assadi
Room: 215

Technology Studio III
ARC380Y1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Nicholas Hoban (Coordinator), Nathan Bishop
Rooms: Main Hall (170)

Capstone Project in Forest Conservation
FOR3008H
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Catherine Edwards
Rooms: 200

Thursday, December 15 | Graduate & Undergraduate

Architectural Design Studio:  Research 1
ARC3020Y
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Marc McQuade
Rooms: Graduate Studio

Drawing and Representation I
ARC100H1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: James Macgillivray (Coordinator), Brandon Bergem, Saarinen Balagengatharadilak, Sonia Ramundi, Si Fei Mo, Danielle Whitley, Monifa Charles-Dedier, Jeffrey Garcia, Anamarija Korolj, Quan Thai, Ji Hee Kim, Anne Ma, Angela Cho, Kara Verbeek, Andrea Rodriguez Fos, Nicholas Barrette
Rooms: Principal Hall (170), 215, 230, 240, 315, 330, 340

Friday, December 16 | Graduate & Undergraduate 

Thesis 1
ALA4021Y
9 a.m.–12 p.m. ET

Instructor: Mason White
Rooms: 242

Urban Design Studio Options: Density
URD2013YF
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructors: Angus Laurie, Lorne Cappe, Mariana Leguia
Rooms: 209

Drawing and Representation II
ARC200H1
9 a.m.–2 p.m. ET

Instructors: Roberto Damiani (Coordinator), Phat Le, Michael Piper, Rez Nik, Matthew DeSantis, Sam Dufaux, David Verbeek, Katy Chey, Simon Rabyniuk, Nova Tayona, Noheir Elgendy, Kara Verbeek
Rooms: Main Hall (170), 215, 230, 240, 315, 330, 340
 

Monday, December 19 | Undergraduate

Design Studio II
ARC201H1
9 a.m.–2 p.m. ET

Instructors: Miles Gertler (Coordinator), Brian Boigon, Jennifer Kudlats, Jamie Lipson, Jeffrey Garcia
Rooms: 170C, 209, 215, 240, 242

Senior Seminar in History and Theory (Research)
ARC456H1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Simon Rabyniuk
Room: 230

Senior Seminar in Design (Research)
ARC461H1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Laura Miller
Room: 330

Senior Seminar in Technology (Research)
ARC486H1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Nicholas Hoban
Rooms: Main Hall (170)

Tuesday, December 20 | Undergraduate

Senior Seminar in History and Theory (Research)
ARC456H1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Simon Rabyniuk
Rooms: 230

Senior Seminar in Design (Research)
ARC461H1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Laura Miller
Rooms: 330

Senior Seminar in Technology (Research)
ARC486H1
9 a.m.–6 p.m. ET

Instructor: Nicholas Hoban
Rooms: Main Hall (170)
 

Banner photo courtesy of GALDSU

In July 2022, the Architecture and Visual Studies Student Union (AVSSU) and Graduate Architecture, Landscape, and Design Student Union (GALDSU) at the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto released a letter titled #DanielsDoBetter2022. The leadership of AVSSU, GALDSU and the Daniels Faculty would like to take this opportunity to issue this joint statement acknowledging the misrepresentations in the letter and consequent negative impact on the community, as well as to reaffirm our shared future goals.

The letter was released by AVSSU and GALDSU with a perceived sense of urgency after the announced transition between the single First Peoples Leadership Advisory role and the incoming multiple First Peoples Leadership Advisors. This rushed posting meant that the letter was published without further consultation between the unions and the Faculty, or with other support structures at the University such as the Office of Indigenous Initiatives or First Nations House. Consequently, the letter was published with factual inaccuracies and misunderstandings.   

Regrettably, the letter has caused unintended reputational damage to the Daniels Faculty and to our community members, and impeded ongoing activities promoting reconciliation and anti-colonial efforts within the Faculty.

AVSSU and GALDSU leadership, alongside the Daniels Faculty administrative leadership, would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm our shared commitments to developing and enhancing Indigenous knowledge and capacity at the Faculty, which includes ongoing curricular enhancements, the welcoming of the First Peoples Leadership Advisory Group and the Decanal Advisor on Indigenous Knowledge, our ongoing community learning in support of incorporating Indigenous knowledge in Faculty initiatives and practices, and our commitment to recruiting Indigenous faculty and to engaging with and learning from Indigenous communities.

We are committed to building on these partnerships in support of the University of Toronto’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report, Wecheehetowin: Answering the Call, and look forward to collaborating with the First Peoples Leadership Advisors on these Daniels Faculty commitments.

We continue to support and hold one another accountable to doing better.

Collectively,

AVSSU Executive 

GALDSU Executive 

Daniels Faculty Administration 
 

Housing Multitudes, the exhibition conceived and co-curated by Daniels Faculty professors Richard Sommer and Michael Piper, has been reviewed in the November 22 edition of The Globe and Mail.

Subtitled Reimagining the Landscapes of Suburbia, the exhibition uses Toronto as a laboratory to create a composite big picture of how the postwar suburban templates that characterize many North American cities can be transformed into denser, more thoughtfully designed versions better suited for new realities.

In his review of the show, Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic notes that, in its exploration of “this vast territory,” it “asks a good question: Can we find a better way to build?”

The co-curators, Bozikovic writes, “present an incisive analysis of what’s happening across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and offer solutions — some utopian and some very practical — for the next century.”

The exhibition, which conveys its themes and scenarios through films, models, graphic-novel-like stories and monumental panoramas, has been on view in the Daniels Building’s Architecture and Design Gallery since October 20, when it was kicked off with a well-attended opening reception.

Early in 2023, a symposium centred around the themes raised by the show will be hosted at the Faculty by Professors Sommer and Piper. Topics and participants are still being organized and will be announced closer to the date.

In the meantime, Housing Multitudes will be on view in the A and D Gallery until February 17. The gallery is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admittance is free and open to all.

To view a PDF of the Globe and Mail review, click here.

The Daniels Faculty’s Ted Kesik, Professor of Building Science, has been made a Fellow of the California-based Facade Tectonics Institute.

He was inducted into the FTI’s College of Fellows during the organization’s World Congress last month in Los Angeles.

Based at the University of Southern California School of Architecture, the FTI was established in 2015 with “the mission of carrying out progressive and broad-based research in building facade technology.”

In addition to its research activities, the Institute conducts a biennial World Congress and an annual series of Regional Forums. It also publishes the Facade Tectonics Journal and produces various publications ranging from technical guides and research reports to books addressing diverse areas of building facade technology.

According to the Institute, Professor Kesik’s induction “acknowledges over three decades of leadership in professional practice and building science education for the advancement of building enclosure design.”

Professor Kesik first became involved in the construction industry in 1974, and he continues to practice as a consulting engineer for leading architectural offices, forward-thinking enterprises and progressive government agencies. Among his numerous areas of research are building resilience and sustainability, high-performance buildings, life cycle assessment and building performance simulation.

In the early 1980s, when the University of Toronto’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture was struggling with space and budget constraints and even faced the possibility of closure, many voices came to its defence, both within and outside U of T. Among them was Diamond Schmitt Architects co-founder Jack Diamond, who had directed the Master of Architecture program at the school from 1964 to 1969 and was a firm believer that effective city building required a strong instructional foundation. 

“If Toronto loses the school of architecture,” he told The Globe and Mail in 1983, “it loses much more than a museum or art gallery. The university’s pitch [for closure] is like saying painting and music aren’t important to society. [The school] must be part of the environment, as well as aspiring to scholarship.” 

In the end, of course, the school wasn’t closed, it was reconstituted a Faculty in the 1990s, and it grew in size and reputation to become the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design. At the same time, the surrounding city of Toronto also grew, with Diamond playing an important role in its development as well.  

Among his legacies as an architect in the city are some pioneering examples of infill and social housing, dexterous incorporations of heritage structures into new projects, and the most glamorous of Toronto’s performing arts venues. 

Diamond, who died on October 30 at the age of 89, just one week short of his 90th birthday, co-established his now-venerable firm with partner Donald Schmitt after leaving U of T. The fact that the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on University Avenue should be among his best-known projects is appropriate: In addition to architecture, he was passionate about music, and exemplary stage and concert venues became a specialty. 

Besides the Four Seasons Centre (pictured below), Diamond Schmitt also oversaw the design of La Maison Symphonique in Montreal and the Mariinsky II Concert Hall in Saint Petersburg, Russia. All have been acclaimed for their acoustical properties. 

Born Abel Joseph Diamond in the South African town of Piet Retief, the graduate of the University of Cape Town and the University of Oxford left his home country for good during the apartheid era. After a brief stint in the Philadelphia office of modernist legend Louis Kahn, he was lured to Toronto by the job at U of T. Canada’s largest city would from then on be his home. 

“He came to Toronto in 1964 and worked for the next 58 years to make it a better place,” his family says in a notice it released. 

The same could be said about his mark on the Daniels Faculty. In addition to his defence of the architecture school at a time when it was imperilled, his firm’s support of the Diamond Schmitt Ontario Graduate Student Scholarship, which recognizes academic excellence among students in the Master of Architecture program, continues to create a living legacy of scholars within the Faculty and beyond. 

According to Diamond’s family, two achievements of which the onetime college rugby star “was extremely proud were scoring the winning try for Oxford University against Australia, and being made an Officer of the Order of Canada.” Diamond was also a Member of the Order of Ontario and a recipient of the Gold Medal of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. 

Among his survivors are his wife Gillian (whom he met at Oxford), his sister Stella, his children Andrew and Suki, five grandsons, and Andrew’s two stepsons.  

At his family’s request, anyone wishing to honour Diamond’s memory is encouraged to do so by donating to the Diamond Schmitt Ontario Graduate Student Scholarship. (To make a donation, click here. For more information, contact Stacey Charles at 416-978-4340 or stacey.charles@daniels.utoronto.ca.)  

A celebration of Diamond’s life will take place on Saturday, November 19, between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., at the Four Seasons Centre. 

On November 15, the Daniels Faculty will mark Trans Awareness Week by holding space to honour and stand in solidarity with transgender people within the University of Toronto community and beyond. Trans Awareness Week is this year being observed between November 14 and 18. The Faculty’s gathering, at 5:30 p.m. in Room 131 of the Daniels Building (the Staff and Faculty Lounge), will acknowledge the hostility and barriers that trans people face globally, within Canada, at U of T and within the Daniels Faculty community.

Five days later — Sunday, November 20 — is Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), which honours the memory of transgender people whose lives have been lost to acts of anti-trans violence. Trans Day of Remembrance was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honour the memory of Rita Hester, an African American trans woman who was killed in her Boston-area home in 1998. 

U of T recognizes both Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience and Trans Awareness Week every November. A calendar of events taking place across the University from the 14th to the 18th is available here.

Recent data from Statistics Canada and Trans Pulse Canada reveal that the discrimination faced by transgender Canadians is widespread and multifaceted. The repercussions, as outlined in the statistics below, can be difficult to process and may be upsetting to some. They are shared here to foster awareness, solidarity and action.

As a result of anti-trans discrimination:

• 43% of transgender Canadians have attempted suicide
• 58% face suicidal ideation
• 45% have unmet or uncovered healthcare needs
• 58% were unable to receive academic transcripts with their correct name and sex
• 18% have been turned down for jobs because they are trans
• 32% suspect being transgender resulted in job loss
• 97% reported avoiding one or more public spaces because they are trans

On November 15, Leon Tsai (pictured above) will be at the Faculty gathering to lead attendees in reflection on trans awareness and remembrance. Tsai (she/they) is a Taiwanese trans-femme and settler-immigrant storyteller (un/re) learning in Tkaronto (Toronto).

The gathering will be an opportunity to raise transgender awareness, to hold space, to honour the lives lost and impacted by anti-trans violence, and to reflect on the challenges that trans people encounter in society on a daily basis. All are welcome to attend the event. Registration is not required.