Q&A: Remembering N.L.'s trans history on International Women's Day

St. John's journalist and author Rhea Rollmann has been tracing back the province's 2SLGBTQ+ history for years. Her book, A Queer History of Newfoundland, was published in 2023.

In 2022, she reported in The Independent, "Newfoundland and Labrador has the second-highest proportion of transgender women aged 15-34 in the country," based on Canada's 2021 census.  

As a transgender woman, Rollmann says people have a lot to learn from gender diverse Canadians.

Rollmann spoke to CBC News to mark International Women's Day on Saturday.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: International Women's Day is coming up. Who are some women in this province or elsewhere who inspire you?

A: I think locally, especially as someone who's done a lot of research in the province's queer and feminist history, I think of a lot of the activists who have really forged the place where we are today. 

A lot of the activists who are here today, for example, the incredible array of activists working at the St. John's Status of Women's Council, both the people who brought it into formation in the 1970s and then the team that's there today — they're all incredible.

What do you think we could do to celebrate the women in our lives?

Listen to what you're hearing on International Women's Day, but think about how you can bring those into effect the rest of the year. You know, that's when it really matters.

You're one of the founding editors of The Independent, you're a producer at CHMR, along with many other bylines. Can you talk about your experiences as a woman in journalism?

What drew me to journalism originally was a desire to tell people stories. One of the things that continues to inspire me in journalism is telling the stories of really inspiring people who are struggling to make a difference in the world. And as someone who's in the past been an activist and faced challenges of my own, I know how hard it can be when you're embarking on these struggles that really seem overwhelming.

I've done a lot of stories about trans health care, gender-affirming health care. That's not something that a lot of mainstream media covers in depth. Or, you know, the experience of newcomers and immigrants to Newfoundland and Labrador.

You've done a lot more in-depth research, too. For example, your book A Queer History of Newfoundland came out in 2023. For people who aren't familiar with that book, can you give us a quick intro?

Going through the archives, I was just struck by all the things that I was learning about Newfoundland and Labrador's queer history. A lot of the activists, a lot of the people I spoke with, didn't think Newfoundland and Labrador had much of a queer history. And the opposite is true. We have such an incredibly rich history. 

So, I tried to bring it together in that book and make it accessible to the public. The book covers the 20th century. It's the story of both community building and political activism that brought about legislative change.

This book told a lot of other people's stories and it connected really well with the community. But looking back, what did this book do for you?

When I was growing up, you know, there were no supports for trans people in the schools. There wasn't any discussion about the things we learn and talk about today around gender and sexuality in the schools.

And learning that there were other trans people growing up at the same time as I did, that was just really astonishing to me. And I was inspired by their stories. You know, it gave me a bigger sense of this place.

Can you speak to where you think we're headed in terms of rights for women — especially trans women — right now?

The fact that there are active debates in the U.S. or elsewhere about removing people's rights — that should never happen in a modern society. So it's a very difficult time, but I think it's also a time when we need to look to our history and learn our history. It's important for policymakers in that respect, but it's also important for us. 

How do you think we can be good allies to transgender women in our province?

I think an important first thing is talking to trans people, including trans people in your lives. You know, Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the highest proportions of trans and gender diverse people in the country, which is really interesting and really exciting. 

Learn about some of the challenges trans people face because of discrimination and bigotry. They are more likely to be experiencing poverty and underemployment, unemployment and are facing a lot of challenges.

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