Today, we mourn the passing of a fierce and fearless soul. Judie Pirrie - organizer, activist, political pioneer, mother of two, and friend to any who got to know her – has tragically lost her life to complex health issues. Her life is one of great victories on behalf of all of us, as well as deep personal loss. Now, we need your help to lay her to rest.
Many people knew Judie Pirrie as a grassroots organizer and freedom fighter, a true pioneer of so many movements that we now take for granted. A Scarborough native, she dedicated her life to elevating the plight of the working class in her beloved home.
She was a founding member of Canada’s Pollution Probe, one of the spearheads of pollution research in the country. Her community-building skills drove the successful formation of the New Democrats (NDP), and she effectively helped Jack Layton to the party’s leadership as his campaign director. She succeeded in leading a movement for reform in the Ontario sexual education curriculum, mandating contraceptive access for thousands – now millions – of young students across the province. She worked with newly-arrived immigrants in Toronto to provide language, lodging and workplace assistance, as well as donation drives to help them thrive in their new home. She was also a proud member of the LGBT community, and even helped organize the very first Pride parade in Toronto.
But the life of a politically-active queer woman was not an easy one. She and her loved ones faced discrimination throughout her life, both for their lifestyle and for her defiance in the face of systemic bigotry. Her tireless work gave her the opportunity to be one of the very first members of the LGBT community to be legally married in Ontario. Tragically, the celebration was bittersweet: her partner of twenty years, Elaine Tam, passed of a terminal illness shortly after their union was official.
In the aftermath of this tragedy, Judie withdrew from public life, struggling both emotionally and financially until February of this year, when she succumbed to health complications caused by the trauma she experienced in her life.
And that’s why we’re reaching out to all of you. Judie gave her heart and soul to the people of this country, and we now need to lay her to rest. Unfortunately, she passed in her new home in Vancouver, and her next of kin still live in Ontario. With travel costs and economics being so volatile, the family is unable to provide the funds required to travel across the country and handle the complicated, expensive tasks ahead. What we’re asking for is a little help from the public that she fought so hard to help throughout her life, so that she can be laid to rest with the dignity and respect that she offered all of us.
The funds we’re asking for will be used to help Judie’s son, who is on a fixed income, travel to Vancouver and back, along with the cost of funeral services and accommodation while he’s abroad.
Her life was dedicated to the people. We are asking for you to pay that forward, for her and her family’s sake. Please, donate if you can – and if you can’t, share this campaign with your friends and family and help us reach our goal.