On 18 October 2016, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Status of Women, announced the six outstanding Canadian women receiving the Governor General’s Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case for 2016. SFU Alumna Dr. Lucia Lorenzi, B.A. (Hons) in English (2008), M.A. in English (2009), is the recipient of the youth award.

Created in 1979 to mark the 50^th anniversary of the groundbreaking Persons Case, which marked the right for women to be legally recognized as “persons” in Canada, the award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the goal of equality for women and girls in Canada.

Dr. Lorenzi, who in 2016 completed her PhD in English Literature from UBC, is a prominent voice in local, national, and social media where she speaks openly about her experiences as a sexual assault survivor in order to advocate for safer, better-informed, and more supportive environments for women. Dr. Lorenzi’s academic career is also focused on addressing sexualized and gendered violence: “Through public dialogue and personal vulnerability, she has involved both survivors and communities at large” in her efforts towards gender equality in Canada.

On her Facebook page Dr. Lorenzi celebrates the award and reminds us that “there is still much work to do when it comes to gender equality in Canada:” “Personhood is still not a given when 1 in 3 women experiences sexual violence before the age of 18. Personhood is not a given when Indigenous women and girls face 4 times the level of violence as non-Indigenous women and girls. Personhood is not a given when Muslim women's autonomy is threatened under the guise of secular legislation and 'Canadian values.' Personhood is not a given when trans women, queer women, and disabled women are too-often left out of conversations about human rights and the right to live free from violence.”

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