Although her coworkers know she's in a relationship with a woman, she hasn't come out as trans to them. Grant, for example, transitioned back in the late 1970s and had sex reassignment surgery (SRS) in 1983. The transgendered lifestyle has become more common among younger transpeople. "Trans" is an umbrella term that includes transsexuals, who might take hormones or undergo surgery to change their body to match the gender they identify with, as well as transgendered people, who tend to be more fluid in their perception of gender, seeing it as a continuum between male and female. This is a chance for us to increase our visibility and show how much diversity there is." "Transpeople have always lived in the shadows and most people haven't taken an interest in our community. "It's long overdue that we get our own march," says Monica Forester, an outreach worker at the 519 Church Street Community Centre, who came out as trans 20 years ago and defines herself as transsexual. An official Pride event, with city permits and an after-party, is a major, brave step.
![old forester gay pride flags old forester gay pride flags](https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/LPT-L-PRIDE-0506-02.jpg)
![old forester gay pride flags old forester gay pride flags](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0980/7252/products/lesbian-flag_760x.png)
Trans people have taken part in the Sunday Parade and the Saturday Dyke March since Pride Toronto's early days, but, with their numbers dwarfed by their gay and lesbian peers, they've been mostly relegated to the sidelines. "I was thinking of a quiet little march but it just grew," says the 35-year-old graphic designer, who is organizing the Friday night event with her wife Diane Grant, 52, who, like Mathiason, is a trans-lesbian (both were born male). The next thing she knew, she had more than 300 RSVPs on the event's Facebook page. When Karah Mathiason started planning Toronto's first-ever Trans Pride March, she thought it might attract 10 people.