2 By Stacey Newman SPECIAL TO THE CHAMPION Grief knows no borders. On June 12, a gunman walked into Pulse â€" a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida â€" and opened fire. Fortyâ€" nine people were killed and 53 more were injured in the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. In the aftermath of such a heinous act, there is the fallout of ideology scatâ€" tered into the atmosphere. Violence against members of the LGBTQ community is common in our world. In Canada, we avow to be one of the safest countries in the world for members of the LGBTQ community. In Ontario, the Province is takâ€" inga steps to boost gender inclusivity by changing the way it displays sex and genâ€" der information on governâ€" mentâ€"issued pieces of idenâ€" tification, including health cards and driver‘s licences. Late last month at the North American Leaders‘ Summit in Ottawa, Canaga, Mexico and the US. called on all members of the internationâ€" al community to ensure full respect for the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and intersex persons. Canada and the US. have commitâ€" ted to increasing coâ€"operaâ€" tion among their diplomatic ds Film director, LGBTQ activist calls for basic human rights for all A" embassies to support the decriminalization of sameâ€" sex conduct, to work with grassroots groups and to help combat violence and discrimination that target individuals based on their sexual orientation and genâ€" der identity. For Milton business owner and LGBTQ activist Michelle Emson, realizing basic human rights and freedoms for all people acrass the globe is the beating heart of her work. A film director and videograâ€" pher by trade, Emson is a huâ€" man rights activist and the director of two documenâ€" tary films, which explore the daily lives of and the lack of access to basic human rights faced by members of the LGâ€" BTQ community. Emson didn‘t choose to be an activist. Her advocacy was born of experience, neâ€" cessity, empathy and out of a strong sense of justice. Emson had long denied herâ€" self the freedom of being who she was. Assigned male at birth, Emson identified as a female as early as she can remember. "For 50 years | was a chameâ€" leon," she said. Emson grew up in England, attended school, worked, was married, and helped to raise her step children. As an adult, she immigrated to Canada, where she called 547 Main St. E. Unit 16â€"17, Milton 905â€"876â€"8988 wwapphamahouse e u-n-.â€" Saturdey |Surâ€"Spn . Qoned Halton home. Emson spent five decades of her life without any sort of vocabulary to describe her experience. This took an immense toll on her selfâ€" esteem. She outwardly identified as a woman for the first time as an adult. Doing so wasn‘t easy. There were surprises â€" good and bad. Relationships were lost â€" relationships that she still grieves. While some colleagues and friends were immediately supportâ€" ive and accepting, others were not. This led Emson to ‘look for a cure‘ Decades of living with proâ€" found loss and denial left her with feelings of selfâ€"haâ€" tred. Emson intimately unâ€" derstood the isolation and the trauma caused by disâ€" crimination and denial. In the midst of her pain, however, there was someâ€" thing â€" something she rec ognized and explored. The denial of basic human rights, in particular to memâ€" bers of the LGBTQ communi ty, has created a critical and desperate situation across the globe. Emson knew she wasn‘t alone in her pain. Canada is a leading nation in Pride movements, celebratâ€" ing diversity and gay rights. Although the nation contin ues to face challenges, Canaâ€" dians have begun embrac ing LGBTQ communities and reveling with its members. The rights and freedoms of LGBTQO community memâ€" bers in Canada are in stark contrast to those in other parts of the world. There are more than 75 countries that consider LGBTQ status and/ or activities a crime; where simply being a member of the LGBTQ community can lead to imprisonment and in some cases death. For 50 years I was a chameleon. Michelle Emson in these countries, people in the LGBTQ community are denied the right to exist. They are devalâ€" ued, denied services, jobs and freedoms. They are met with viâ€" olence and hostility, and they must live in secret. They are denied their basic human rights. One such counâ€" try is Ukraine, where an Equalâ€" ity March in 2012 was canâ€" celled due to threats. The WagJag DEALS yOU LOVE FOR LESS GoWwWEesT HEALTY To â€" Proudly serving Milton , Oakvilie, Halton Hills and Fiamborough with Competitive Rates. Save your hard earned money.. www.danknowsmilton.com 0: 416â€"534â€"3511 * D: 416â€"970â€"7325 Oe m i T T D d L following year, Pride activâ€" ists hosted their inaugural rally in Kyiv, where 100 proâ€" testers marched just 300 metres with the support of 1,500 police officers in riot gear. Emson, a globeâ€"trotting filmmaker, became actively involved in the KyivPride movement alongside one of its founders, Olena Seâ€" menova. The pair set out to create a film about the movement and founded KyivprideCanâ€" ada, an alliance between the Ukrainian and Canadian LGâ€" BTQ communities. That‘s when Emson found herself on the frontlines of the LGBTQ movement here in the Greater Toronto Area and in Kyiv. Her film, PRIDE of Ukraine â€" A Documentary of LGBT Rights, was released internaâ€" tionally in 2015. There was even a Milton screening of the film at the Moâ€" hawk Inn, where a rainbow _ formed just as movieâ€" goers exited the venue. The symbolic mmwfl WN'W Mh-flï¬oslnï¬ SWt ie " CV ce pT Aing Aepsuny1 | 6Â¥ + | NOIdWVHI NVIGVNYI NOLTIW | atoz