52
PARADE
MARSHALS
EVOLVING PAST WHAT’S
BETWEEN OUR LEGS
Shandi Strong
Grand Marshal
Shandi is one of the fiercest advocates in the LGBTTQ* community. Some have called her a
trans pioneer and even ‘the Laverne Cox of Winnipeg,’ but she’s quick to point out that
she’s not the first trans person in Winnipeg and none of her success would’ve been
possible without the support of the LBGTTQ* community. A humble person, Shandi shares
her story in the hopes that it will empower those in need and prevent misinformation about
trans and gender fluid individuals.
Shandi’s story begins the way most trans
stories do, a realization at a very young
age that their body and attitudes don’t
match their gender identity. Most children
are taught ‘gender rules’ from family, rules
which often indicate stereotypes such as
‘boys like the color blue, enjoy sports and
vehicles,’ whereas ‘girls like the color pink,
enjoy makeup and dolls.’ She preferred to
have tea parties and play the ‘damsel in
distress’ as a child – activities commonly
associated with femininity during that
time period.
Now for those whom are not familiar with
the differences and significance of gender
versus sex we’ll take a moment to explain.
Sex is the biological makeup of an
individual’s physical body whereas gender
is the identity and expression of the person.
If you refer to the diagram on the bottom
right, you can see that identity, expression,
sex and orientation are all different but all
compose the overall identity of a person.
Over the years Shandi struggled with her
gender identity and expression. In her teen
years her parents had caught her dressed in
women’s clothing and sent her to a
psychiatrist. As she grew older she buried
her urges by getting married, having kids,
and focusing on her job but the need to be
herself never left. After 10 years and two
children her first marriage dissolved.
In her second marriage she was fortunate to
have