Adrienne Smith
Lawyer
Adrienne Smith is a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer. Adrienne appeared at the BC Human Rights Tribunal, BC Supreme Court, and the BC Court of Appeal. At the Supreme Court of Canada they argued about the harmful impact of mandatory minimum sentences for women, indigenous people, and drug users; and made submissions in defence of transgender children under section 15 of the Charter. They argued human rights cases in which clarify employers’ obligations to recognize correct names and pronouns for transgender and non-binary workers. As a trade union activist, they advocate for transgender inclusion in our unions and workplaces. Adrienne is the litigation director at the Catherine White Holman Wellness Clinic where they give free legal advice, take on human rights cases, and notarize name and gender change documents for trans people.
Adrienne is the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association BC Diversity Award; the Canadian Mental Health Association BC Branch Nancy Hall Public Policy Leadership Award; the Allard Law Alumni Achievement Award; the Vancouver and District Labour Council Syd Thompson Award for Community Service; the BC Federation of Labour Joy Langan Award for Social Justice, The Canadian Bar Association's Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance Section Hero Award for support to the 2SLGBT+ community, The Advocates Society Joe Arvay Award for advancing the law under challenging circumstances, and the United Association of Labor Educators Nelson Mandela Award for Advancing Human Rights.