About the Talk

This panel discussion features law and bioethics scholar Florence Ashley — author of Banning Transgender Conversion Practices: A Legal and Policy Analysis (UBC Press, 2022) — and Jules Sherred, writer, disability, trans rights activist, and conversion therapy survivor. Florence and Jules will discuss shortcomings of the recent Canadian conversion therapy ban, the insidious nature of conversion practices within the public healthcare system, and relationships between institutional forms of oppression and conversion practices — with a particular focus on equity and justice for trans people. The session is moderated by CGSHE Faculty Member & SFU Assistant Professor Travis Salway.

About the Speakers

Florence Ashley (they/them) is a transfeminine jurist and bioethicist currently completing a doctorate at the University of Toronto. Florence frequently contributes to public discussions around trans issues and served as the first openly transfeminine clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada. They are widely published in law and healthcare and are the author of Banning Transgender Conversion Practices: A Legal and Policy Analysis (UBC Press, 2022).

Jules Sherred (he/him) is a photographer, author, journalist, and outspoken advocate for disability and trans rights. He has consulted on policy and legislation at multiple levels of government in regards to trans issues, has written about his personal experiences with conversion practices, and specifically advocated for improvements to legislative bans in order to encompass practices targeting trans people and identities. Jules’s cookbook Crip Up the Kitchen: Realistic Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for the Disabled Kitchen is due to be published by TouchWood Edition in Spring 2023.