WINNIPEG — Canada's first known transgender judge credits his new position to lots of hard work and a determination to simply be himself.
Judge Kael McKenzie says when he learned of his appointment to Manitoba provincial court, he felt a surge of elation and pride that he quickly shared with his wife and two teenage sons.
They are as thrilled as he is, he says.
"I have been working really hard for my entire adult life in all kinds of areas and I have continually strived to improve myself," McKenzie said Monday.
"The appointment is much more than being a trans man. I feel like my efforts have been rewarded."
McKenzie, 44, made the transition from woman to man a few years ago.
What didn't change was his drive to improve himself and contribute to the community.
He remembers joining Sea Cadets and playing lots of sports before coming out as a lesbian in his teens to people close to him.
Keeping his sexuality a secret, McKenzie joined the Canadian Forces and served six years in the navy as a communications and research analyst.
He worked as a campus police officer while studying at the University of Manitoba.
After practising family, commercial and civil law, he worked as a Manitoba Crown attorney for five years.
McKenzie, who is Metis, has volunteered for organizations that include the North American Indigenous Games, the Canadian Bar Association and Winnipeg's Rainbow Resource Centre.
The trans community and others are holding him out as a role model. People he has never met before are sending messages of support.
"They are like, 'Thank you. My son or daughter is transitioning and it means so much.' People, just complete strangers, saying thank you. I have had a number of trans people who have said, 'See, we can do anything — people are people,'" he said.
"It is overwhelming to think that you can have this type of impact on someone's life just from being yourself and working hard."
Like anyone else, his life experiences are bound to affect how he does his job, he said. But he is emphatic that he is not a token.
McKenzie said he's had only a few negative responses from anonymous people, who have posted remarks on websites and questioned why his appointment is news.
"Why is this news? Until it isn't news anymore, it is news."
Mike Tutthill, executive director of the Rainbow centre, said Winnipeg's LGBTQ community is excited about McKenzie's appointment.
However, people are being realistic that this is the story of one trans person, he said. Barriers to employment still exist for many.
"While we are celebrating this, we are also really aware that there is still lots of work to do."
Manitoba Attorney General Gord Mackintosh told McKenzie of his appointment on Thursday as part of the province's goal to increase diversity on the bench.
Mackintosh said that according to the Manitoba Bar Association, McKenzie is the first known transgender judge in Canada.
