As soon as you open the door to The Centre for Gender and Social Justice (formerly the Trent Women’s Centre), you can easily tap into the many ways that gender justice intersects with all other forms of anti-oppression.
Our purple and orange walls are adorned with posters from the type of work we do; Trans* Day of Remembrance, TransForming Feminism, Queering Black History Month, Allyship Training, and more. We believe in actively fighting for, creating and maintaining an environment of empowerment, respect and support for people who experience gendered oppression and their allies. In and out of the office we seek to create a safer space for people who experience gendered oppression. We offer tools for challenging sexism, transphobia, cis-privilege and other forms of oppression.
At the CGSJ, we understand all of the connotations that come with the word feminism today, and that the journey into learning about gender justice and feminism can be intimidating. It can also be a place that people arrive at naturally. Either way, challenging socially constructed ideas of sex and gender is an essential part of creating a just, safe and equitable community.
Looking at gender through an intersectional lens allows us to break down power structures. It builds a critical analysis of institutions, shedding light onto how oppressive ideas and actions are created and maintained in our society. Trans* feminism asks us to include all marginalized peoples’ experiences into our analysis and actions. We aim to take up feminist work in this way; if this interests you we encourage you to keep learning with us. Whether you are interested history, discussions, creative projects, LGBTQ* issues and support, feminist films or organizing an event, we can help you out!
We will soon be hosting a casual chat at Trent campus to allow people to share their thoughts on the type of gender justice and trans* feminist work they are interested in. We hope to check-in with the community to help us shape our future work. If you are interested in attending this event (or any others) find us on Facebook for location and time details.
The CGSJ frequently runs workshops, brings in speakers and supports the work by community partners that share our commitment to anti-oppression.
We can be found in room 202 at Sadleir House at 751 George St. N.