A resident of Dugald has been nominated as the Liberal candidate in Provencher for the federal election in October. Trevor Kirczenow says he is the first-ever openly transgender candidate to run for a major federal party. He is a former violinist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Kirczenow and his husband operate a small farm at Dugald and have two children. He explains he would like to represent all people of the riding, something Kirczenow says is not currently happening.

"I first got interested in wanting to be involved in politics about four years ago when Steinbach had its first-ever Pride parade. At the time, there were no local, elected politicians willing to attend. I'm a member of an LGBTSS community myself and I felt like to not have any elected representatives there was not being supportive of families like mine. And also, as a parent of young children, I think a lot about their future and especially the future of the environment. What kind of planet we will be leaving for them? And as they grow up, I feel more and more passionate about trying to do something myself to make things better."

Kirczenow says the decision to run for office is a big one but follows up on a long held interest of his.

"It is a big undertaking. I've been thinking about it for quite awhile. I also have a degree in political science so it's not a new interest for me."

Below is a biography issued by the Liberal Association in Provencher:

Trevor grew up in BC and, with a keen interest in evidence-based public policy, earned an Honours BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia. At the same time, Trevor honed his interest in violin performance to a professional level, performing nearly full-time with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He toured three times as a concertmaster with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, gaining valuable experience as a leader among his peers. After graduation, Trevor performed in the first violin section of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and was appointed to the faculty of the Manitoba Conservatory of Music.

After his children were born, parenting became Trevor’s primary focus. In addition to being their full-time caregiver, he wrote a blog which has attracted over a million visitors. In 2016 he published a critically-acclaimed book about his parenting journey. Trevor became the first openly transgender person to volunteer with La Leche League, an international organization that offers breastfeeding support to parents. He initiated and led a research study about the experiences of transmasculine parents with pregnancy, birth, and infant feeding, with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Kirczenow lives on an acreage near Dugald with his husband and two children, ages 8 and 4.

Trevor currently volunteers as a Director and the breed registrar for the Ojibwe Horse Society, a national not-for-profit which aims to preserve and educate about Canada’s indigenous heritage livestock horse. As part of his work for the Society, Trevor collaborates with breeders and genetics experts across the continent.