When barbara findlay was younger, she shared with a psychiatrist that she was attracted to women. As a result, she was involuntarily admitted to a psychiatric facility simply for being queer.
In the early 1970s, identifying as gay in Canada was viewed as a mental illness.
Before she could practice law, findlay had to obtain a “sanity certificate” proving her fitness for the profession, as noted in her honorary degree citation from Simon Fraser University in 2023.
She dedicated her life to advocating for human rights afterward.
As an attorney, findlay took on several “groundbreaking” cases, particularly those related to 2SLGBTQ+ rights, according to the SFU citation.
This past weekend, she passed away at age 77 after battling a long illness. The 2SLGBTQ+ community in B. C. is grieving her loss.
Fellow activist Shantel Ivits mentioned that findlay couldn’t be easily categorized.
“She’s not the kind of person who could be squished into boxes,” Ivits said. “And in fact, I would say she spent her entire life kind of working to dismantle those systems that try to squish people into boxes that just don’t fit for them.”
Ivits fondly recalled one memory of findlay: she always spelled her name in lowercase letters.
On her website, findlay explained why: during law school, when she got letterhead designed for herself, it came without capital letters. She liked it and decided to keep it that way.
“But what she didn’t anticipate was that there would be this sort of interesting backlash against the idea of spelling your name with lowercase letters,” Ivits said.
A court dismissed an order because her name wasn’t correctly spelled. The local queer newspaper also refused to print her name without capitals. “What an uproar!” findlay wrote.
“I realized that I had a perfect illustration of how we react when someone moves even a tiny bit away from a norm of behaviour, even with respect to something that has no impact on anyone else.”
She continued using the lowercase spelling.
This choice – along with her activism – certainly caught attention.
“I knew barbara findlay even before I moved to Vancouver because she was in the Pride Guide; [she] spelled her name with lowercase letters,” recalled Lee Keple from the Rainbow Veterans of Canada.
“And I’m like, OK, that stands out.”
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A tenacious community advocate, barbara findlay is remembered as a ‘force of nature,’ according to those she mentored and volunteered with. ( )
She fought for recognizing both lesbian co-parents’ names on their child’s birth certificate and accommodating transgender youth at Catholic schools.
In 2001, findlay received recognition as Queen’s Counsel; later in 2013, she earned a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2020, the Canadian Bar Association of B. C. honored her with an award for distinguished service.
She co-founded Lawyers Against Transphobia and regularly volunteered for Rainbow Refugee Committee among other community efforts.
A strong supporter of self-determination across various aspects, according to Ivits , findlay chose medical assistance in dying after living with myalgic encephalomyelitis – known commonly as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) – along with fibromyalgia.
Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged findlay’s passing through a Facebook post saying that he admired how much effort she put into making Canada more free and equal so that 2SLGBTQ+ individuals could live dignified lives.
“She challenged injustice , changed minds , and opened doors for those who came after her,” Carney said.
Ivits recalled how once findlay remarked she’d come back as thunder and lightning.
“On the night that she died , we had the most spectacular display of thunder and lightning that I’ve ever seen in my life ,” Ivits said.
“And to me , that was just a reminder that barbara findlay is and always will be a force of nature.”
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Pivotal Legal Battles
Everyone seemed familiar with findlay, according to Keple’s observations. “She was part of the reason that we had the rights we had in Vancouver in the early 2000s and were able to build upon them.. she was truly a champion.”Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged findlay’s passing through a Facebook post saying that he admired how much effort she put into making Canada more free and equal so that 2SLGBTQ+ individuals could live dignified lives.
“She challenged injustice , changed minds , and opened doors for those who came after her,” Carney said.
Ivits recalled how once findlay remarked she’d come back as thunder and lightning.
“On the night that she died , we had the most spectacular display of thunder and lightning that I’ve ever seen in my life ,” Ivits said.
“And to me , that was just a reminder that barbara findlay is and always will be a force of nature.”
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