2017 - Dr. Erin Fredericks

Department of Sociology
BA (STU), PhD (DAL)

Dr. Erin Fredericks, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, is being honoured for her advocacy and support for the LGBTQIA+ community on campus and in Fredericton. Inspired by the notion to “be who you needed when you were younger,” she has worked to make STU a safer place for queer and trans students. As facilitator of the Safer Spaces Program, Fredericks developed an LGBTQIA+ inclusion training workshop for staff and faculty. She has offered the workshop many times on campus and to community organizations, as well as the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Public Safety. As STU’s LGBTQIA+ Resource Advisor, she meets with students, supports queer and trans equity initiatives, and advises staff and faculty. She has also promoted queer and trans visibility by supporting the development and work of the Q&A Student Society, facilitating the raising of the Trans Flag at STU, advocating for queer and trans students facing issues on campus, and helping establish all-gender washrooms on campus. Off-campus, Fredericks is the co-founder and co-chair of the trans advocacy organization TransActionNB. She is also the co-founder and chair of Imprint Youth Association Inc, an organization that provides services to queer and trans youth. She is a board member of Fredericton Pride and co-chair of the Fredericton Police Pride Committee. Fredericks holds a BA from St. Thomas University and a PhD from Dalhousie University. Her scholarly research examines interconnections between gender and other forms of marginalization, representations of health and illness, and health behaviours.