Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
Canada’s Quinn is set to become the first openly trans, non-binary Olympian to win an Olympic medal, as Canada’s soccer team looks to triumph over the Swedes in the women’s final on Friday.
“It's such a big deal. It's so important. It's such a wonderful thing for Quinn and for Team Canada,” Ravyn Wngz, a two-spirit LGBTQ2S+ advocate, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. “This doesn't happen in a vacuum.”
Wngz, who sits on the Black Lives Matter Toronto steering committee and has African, Bermudian and Mohawk roots, says the achievement will be momentous for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
“This is a moment that is among many moments for trans folks in the games, for trans folks at large who are making a stand to say 'we are here, we've always been here,'” said Wngz. “It’s exciting.”
Regardless of Friday’s outcome, Quinn, a 25-year-old Torontonian midfielder who plays for professional U.S. soccer club OL Reign, is guaranteed to win an Olympic medal -- either silver or the coveted gold.
Last fall, Quinn came out as trans in a social media post, changed their pronouns to they/them and now only goes by one name. They told The Canadian Press at the time that their decision to come out was because they were "tired of being misgendered.”
Quinn also said they came out because they wanted to become a public, visible figure for younger people who may be "questioning their gender, exploring their gender.”
They played soccer for Duke University in North Carolina and became the highest-drafted Canadian in the history of the National Women's Soccer League, before becoming the third overall pick going to the Washington Spirit in 2018.
Quinn went on to play on Canada’s 2012 Olympic team, where they suffered a tough loss against the U.S. in London, and won bronze during the 2016 Games in Rio.
But they’re not the only openly trans athlete at this year's Games.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard is also trans and was eliminated from the women's +87-kg category on Monday.
“I think as we move into a new and more understanding world, people are starting to realize that people like me are just people,” Hubbard told Reuters on Tuesday, adding she doesn’t see herself as any sort of icon and hopes her sport undergoes greater strides to become more inclusive.
Allies and advocates have long noted the importance of representation of LGBTQ2S+ people in public spaces -- particularly in elected office, entertainment or in sports.
Recent research that suggests anti-trans hate is on the rise, with surveys conducted by TRANSPulse Canada suggesting many trans people in the country actively avoid some public spaces for fear of harassment or being outed. Other research suggests avoidance was worse among Indigenous trans, two-spirit and non-binary people, with 76 per cent of respondents avoiding three or more spaces, and only 12 per cent not avoiding any spaces.
Wngz says the achievements of athletes like Quinn and Hubbard will go a long way “for trans kids who have been struggling with sports.”
Community building and learning how to trust other people are crucial aspects that people learn from team sports, Wngz notes. But liberal think tank The Center For American Progress cites studies which show many trans and non-binary children feel their coming out will not be accepted in sports circles, highlighting the need for allies to ensure spaces are inclusive, non-judgmental and welcoming.
“Trans kids and trans adults miss out on that opportunity because there is so much fear. There are so [many] assumptions and there's a lack of understanding, trust and openness to trans kids and non-binary individuals to be able to move safely within our communities," said Wngz.
Wngz said Quinn’s ability to come out safely is not a luxury everyone has and “speaks to is a larger conversation about being safe in the workplace.”
“This speaks to the environment that Quinn is in that they feel safe enough to come forward with the fullness of their being, the fullness of their life,” she said. “Trans folks are everywhere... and folks will turn out more and show up in their full experience if environments were safer to do so.”
“When the most marginalized among us get freer, get safer and get more opportunities, we all get more opportunities.”
With files from CTVNews.ca's Brooke Taylor and The Canadian Press
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus is facing fresh Conservative-led calls to resign, this time over "very partisan" and 'inflammatory' language used – the Liberals say mistakenly – to promote an upcoming event.
Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada Goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Public libraries in Atlantic Canada are now lending a broader range of items.
Flashes of purple darting across the sky mixed with the serenading sound of songs will be noticed more with spring in full force in Manitoba.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.