Building on the bravery of others

Awards bring attention to remarkable initiatives and extraordinary contributions to society’s progress. But they rarely include all the people who truly cause change to happen, the countless brave and resilient people who clear a path for others to follow.

Lee Nevens (they/them), co-chair of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Section of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, is the recipient of this year’s Touchstone Award for exceptional work to promote equality in the legal profession and justice system for trans, nonbinary and gender diverse people. But Nevens credits other people as the true agents of change: terrified kids coming out as trans to their parents; students with the courage to be their authentic selves at school; folks who repeatedly and patiently explain their pronouns to others and speak up about their need for trans-inclusive and gender-affirming facilities and services like bathrooms, medical care, and lawyers.

Their deferring to other agents of change embodies who Nevens is and their approach to advocacy. As an out trans lawyer who has benefited from the changes brought on by these countless unseen risks and victories, Nevens views it as their responsibility to help turn these acts into systemic change.

In her nomination letter for Nevens, Vancouver lawyer barbara findlay, Q.C., wrote that queer and trans folks are oppressed when they are silenced and made invisible to the world, the law and each other. By being a very publicly open trans lawyer and pushing for trans education and practice changes in British Columbia and nationally, Nevens has contributed significantly to making gender diverse people more visible.

This work has been most noticeable when it comes to acknowledging and respecting peoples’ pronouns. Nevens was called to the bar in 2013 and works as a litigator for the Department of Justice Canada in Vancouver. Their efforts to improve pronoun recognition began years ago in their workplace by putting their own pronouns in the signature line of their emails and starting to educate their colleagues. Years later, they were thrilled to see Justice Minister David Lametti listing his pronouns in his Twitter bio.

Nevens says it’s important for everyone, including those who are never misgendered, to include their pronouns in email signatures and in their introductions when they’re in court, delivering a speech or participating in a panel discussion. “I think that creates space for everybody else and increases safety for others who might be less gender normative to do the same. And it also signals that they’re aware of gender diversity, and that they are making efforts to not make potentially harmful assumptions based on name, appearance or voice.”

Nevens acknowledges that, as a white lawyer with relative social and economic security, it is easier and safer for them to be out and outspoken as a trans person than it is for many people. They are deliberately trying to use that privilege to keep the momentum growing and create space for others. And it’s not just about pronouns.

They are the first openly transgender and non-binary lawyer elected to the Board of the CBA-BC Branch, currently serving a second term. They lead and coordinate advocacy initiatives and consultations with SOGIC when requested by the Bench, the Law Society, tribunals and other organizations. They also directly provide training, sit on panels, moderate webinars and support speakers at events on top of mentoring students and junior counsel.

Raised by an artist, becoming a lawyer wasn’t a career Nevens had in mind growing up. Nor was their current advocacy and educational role for queer and trans people, until their undergraduate studies in political science at McGill University in Montreal. “I think within six months of coming out as queer I agreed to be the administrator of Queer McGill,” they say with a laugh, “and since then improving conditions for my community has been part of my motivation. Both in the actual work I do and in simply being as open and extremely ‘out’ as I can be.”

Their activism continued in law school at the University of British Columbia and beyond. Today, in addition to their involvement within the CBA, Nevens serves on the board of directors of Zee Zee, a small queer theatre company in Vancouver. “The whole purpose of its existence is trying to highlight and bring stories from our communities to different audiences,” they say.

Nevens says that receiving the Touchstone Award is significant because it confirms the institutional support of the CBA for trans and gender diverse people. This bolsters their work to build on the bravery and resilience of those who create “those first little bits of light” by taking action in their own lives. “I’m working for more systemic change, so that eventually bravery and resilience aren’t needed anymore in order for us to just be ourselves,” they conclude.

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The Touchstone Award celebrates the accomplishments of an individual or an organization who has excelled in promoting equality in the legal profession, the judiciary, or the legal community in Canada. The award recognizes successful promotion or furthering of equality at the national level or a significant contribution relating to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or other diversity issues in the recipient’s community.