IV17 SPEAKER: Adrienne Smith
A poet turned lawyer whose love of language spans the boring and the beautiful.
Adrienne Smith is a human rights activist and drug policy lawyer. They graduated from UBC law school, and they live and work in the Downtown Eastside where they are working to reduce the harm that law causes on marginalized communities. They recently settled a BC Supreme Court case which changed provincial prison policy and secured access to opiate replacement therapy for prisoners in BC jails. As part of a group of activists, they worked to introduce trans-inclusion policies in their political party at the provincial and federal levels. Volunteering in a summary legal advice clinic as part of the Catherine White Holman Wellness Centre, they give free human rights, criminal, family, and employment law advice, and notarize name change forms. They also participated in producing the transrightsbc.ca know-your-rights web tool, and they run workshops for service providers and members of their community. They make frequent public appearances, where they are an inspiration to others by being an out transgender lawyer.