She was a student before she became a statistic

Students walk past the mural every day, usually without stopping. It was painted by someone like them—young, creative and full of life. 

But unlike them, Divas Boulanger never got the chance to grow older. She was murdered in Winnipeg in 2004, and became part of the growing list of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people (MMIWG2S+) in Canada.

“She was my best friend,” says Alaya McIvor.

The two, First Nations transgender women met while living on the streets of Winnipeg. “We were couch-surfing,” McIvor adds. “Divas took me under her wing."

“We went marching for justice the night she was murdered.”

McIvor says Boulanger—known as David while attending art school at the University of Manitoba (UM)—made sure they attended a Take Back the Night march on Sept. 30, 2004 in support of missing and murdered women. 

But afterwards, Boulanger disappeared and her body was found two months later at a rest stop nearly 100 kilometers west of the city. 

“She was taken,” says McIvor, an MMIWG survivor who also lost her cousin, Roberta McIvor, to gender-based violence in 2011.

In 2019, a national inquiry into the disproportionate level of violence against Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse individuals concluded it was rooted in colonialism. 

UM has recognized the high rates of MMIWG2S+, often hosting events acknowledging the crisis as particularly acute in Winnipeg. 

“A look through the final report of the National Inquiry on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (2019) makes clear how important UM research, writing, and scholarship has been to changing the conversation on MMIWG2S+,” says Adele Perry, Professor with the Department of history and Director of the Centre for Human Rights Research (CHRR) at UM. 

“The report draws on the work of UM scholars from Law (Brenda Gunn), Indigenous Studies (Emma LaRocque), Women’s and Gender Studies (Shawna Ferris), and Political Science (Kiera Ladner), and of UM alumni, including Karine Duhamel and Tricia Logan.”

“UM researchers and students continue to address MMIWG2S+ in teaching and research, and public programming, including in well-attended events hosted by the CHRR and Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous).”

Building on this foundation, the CHRR continues to embed the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Calls for Justice into its work—creating opportunities for learning, collaboration and action across campus.

“We aim to incorporate the Calls for Justice into our work through blog posts, resource guides, and recorded lectures available on the CHRR website to raise awareness of MMIWG2S+,” says Pauline Tennent, Manager of the CHRR. 

“We’ve had the honour of working alongside Sandra DeLaronde, Project Lead of Giganawenimaanaanig, on a number of initiatives, including a one-year SSHRC-funded research project that looks at Indigenous women’s governance."

In partnership with the Office of the Vice-President (Indigenous), the CHRR hosts semi-annual campus events to deepen understanding of MMIWG2S+ and support implementation of the Calls for Justice.

Carrying stories forward and taking action

On May 7, UM will host a Red Dress Day event and call on the campus community to turn awareness into action. 

Art—like the mural painted by Boulanger—will be a highlight. Alaya was unaware of her friend’s large, colourful mural of Indigenous dancers but is now comforted by it. 

“(Boulanger) had plans to further her education,” says Alaya, who is now a prominent advocate for MMIWG2S+ survivors and families in Winnipeg, “and continue raising awareness of (transgender rights) in society. 

“She planted the seed in me.” 

In 2016, a Winnipeg man convicted of killing Boulanger was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.