FORT FRANCES — A new plaque in Fort Frances is marking a historic first for transgender rights in Canada.
On March 31, the Ontario Heritage Trust and Borderland Pride unveiled a new provincial plaque commemorating Dianna Boileau, the first person to receive gender-affirming surgery in Canada.
Boileau received support from physician Dr. Harold Challis in her hometown of Fort Frances. Following her transition in 1970, Boileau’s story brought awareness to transgender rights.
Deborah Challis, daughter of the late Dr. Harold Challis, said that she is proud of her father.
“I feel very proud,” Deborah said. “I’m very happy that this is happening to acknowledge the role that my father played in Dianna’s life. With the plague in front of the hospital people looking at it might say they would like to learn more about Dr. Challis because this is one aspect of many things he accomplished in his life.”
Deborah recalls that her father had an office inside their family home where he would counsel his patients.
“They would come in the evenings or on weekends, but I would have never known which one was Dianna,” said Deborah.
This would be where Challis would meet Dianna and begin consulting with her about the procedure.
Deborah admits that she was five years old when Dianna was a patient of Challis.
Stephen Challis, Dr. Harold Challis’s son, recalls that his father kept his patients confidential acknowledging that at the time Dianna Boileau’s transition was kept secret from the public until her she published a memoir, Behold, I Am a Woman, in 1972.
“At that point in time, there was a lot of discussion. At that time, people would ask me what I knew about this, I was 14/15, and my answer was I just know what’s in the book,” said Stephen.
Stephen recalls that his father researched gender-affirming surgery while studying at the University of London in England.
“That was happening at the University of London in the 40s. He was there then finishing his training to be a surgeon. That’s mentioned in Dianna’s book,” said Stephen.
Stephen said that there were several steps to Boileau’s surgery, one of them being that the surgeries could not be done at the La Verendrye Hospital. Instead, Dianna would have to travel to Toronto for her first surgery and her second surgery would be in a hospital in New York.
Sadly, Dr. Harold Challis passed away shortly after Dianna’s first surgery in November 1970.
When asked if Boileau would have had gender-affirming surgery without the consultation of Dr. Challis, Stephen said, “we wondered about that. It seems quite likely without his initial consultation, her path would have been much more grim.”
Samson Busch, an advocate for trans rights, explains that 2SLGBTQIA representation is hard to find in a small town, which made Boileau’s story stand out.
“To learn about somebody like Dianna and learn about the early days of her transition there, it just really powerful to see that people do exist in these small towns,” said Busch.
Busch feels that the commemorative provincial plaque will add to the cultural distinction of Fort Frances.
“Anybody who comes through Fort Frances, current or future, will be able to see this and see that the region is proud of people that come from that area,” said Busch. “I think this is great to honour her history and LGBQ history and Fort Frances history.”
Busch said that although Boileau faced discrimination while living in Fort Frances, she had support from her friends, family, and Dr. Challis during a time when gender-affirming surgery was unknown.
“I think it’s very important for people today to see that it is possible to be happy and to transition and live your life,” said Busch.
For those looking to begin the process of transitioning, Busch said consulting with medical professionals who understand the health and well-being of the 2SLGBTQIA community is a significant step.
“I think that is important to have doctors that understand what transiting is and who understand that the transgender community is unique in terms of their needs as compared to the greater society and just general medical needs,” said Busch.
For Busch, the significance of Boileau and Dr. Challis’s story shows that the discussion surrounding transitioning is not entirely unrecognized, even in the rural areas of northwestern Ontario. Although Busch admits that small-town acceptance of the 2SLGBTQIA community still has a ways to go, there are allies and advocates in every community.
“You are not alone. You are not the only one out there. There have been people that have come before you. There will be people that will come after you. You have help. You have support no matter where you are. It doesn’t matter if you are in a big city like Toronto or if you are in a little town like Fort Frances.”
