Gemma Hickey (born October 1, 1976) is a Canadian LGBTQ rights activist and author. They became one of the first Canadians to receive a gender-neutral birth certificate and passport. Hickey founded The Pathways Foundation, an organization that offers support to survivors of religious institutional abuse and their families.^[1] Since 2010, Hickey has worked as Executive Director of Artforce,^[2] formerly known as For the Love of Learning, a non-profit that works to forge new paths for at-risk youth by advancing their literacy and creative skills.

Gemma Hickey was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, on October 1, 1976.^[3] They attended Gonzaga High School, graduating in 1994. In 2003, Hickey graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Memorial University of Newfoundland. During their time at post-secondary, they served as General Director of LBGT-MUN (now Sexual and Gender Advocacy).^[4][5]

Hickey was raised Roman Catholic but left the Catholic Church in 2003 to become a member of the Wesley United Church of Canada congregation.^[3][6]

Hickey is non-binary, and uses the pronouns they and them. Hickey's transition is the subject of the 2017 documentary film Just Be Gemma,^[7][8] which aired on CBC Television and the Documentary Channel, as well as being screened at the Nickel Film Festival^[9] in St. John's, the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax,^[10][11] and at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.^[12]

Gemma Hickey's first book, Almost Feral, a memoir chronicling their walk across Newfoundland and the emotional terrain traveled was published in October 2019 by Breakwater Books.^[13] In 2020, the book won two awards at the Atlantic Book Awards: the APMA Best Atlantic Published Book Award, and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award in the non-fiction category.^[14] Hickey was one of 24 Canadian writers to be featured on CBC Books’ Writers to Watch list,^[15] and CBC Books named Almost Feral as one of 40 Canadian books on the summer 2020 reading list.^[16]

In June 2019, Hickey married Rebecca Rose, the president of Breakwater Books.^[17] They later separated. Hickey was previously married once before.

Gemma Hickey has spent years campaigning for LGBTQ rights in Canada, through their involvement in Egale Canada,^[18] PFLAG Canada,^[19] and Canadians for Equal Marriage. In 2003, Hickey traveled to Halifax to present a brief on same-sex marriage to the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.^[20] Hickey was president of Egale Canada in 2005, when same-sex marriage in Canada was legalized.^[21]

Hickey is outspoken about the trauma of sexual abuse by clergy. After going public about being sexually abused at the hands of a Roman Catholic priest, Hickey founded The Pathways Foundation in 2013, a non-profit organization that helps people deal with the effects of such abuse. Hickey continues to raise the issue publicly, including attending the February 2019 Vatican sexual abuse summit in Rome.^[22][23]

On June 2, 2015, a private member's bill was tabled in the House of Commons in Ottawa that Hickey had helped draft, to make June 1 the National Institutional Abuse Awareness Day.^[24]

In 2015, Hickey undertook a 908-kilometer walk across the island of Newfoundland to raise awareness and funds for survivors of clergy abuse.^[25][26] Hickey completed the month-long walk at the Mount Cashel Orphanage Memorial in St. John's, the site of the largest sexual abuse scandal in Canadian history.^[27][28]

Hickey unsuccessfully ran as a New Democrat for a seat in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in the riding of Kilbride in a by-election called for February 8, 2007 following the resignation of Ed Byrne.^[35][36] They again unsuccessfully sought election to the provincial House of Assembly, this time in the Electoral District of St. John's East, in a general election held October 9, 2007.

In January 2021, Hickey was confirmed as the Liberal candidate in St. John's Centre for the 2021 provincial election.^[37][38] Hickey was defeated by incumbent NDP MHA Jim Dinn.^[39]

In 2012, Hickey was recognized with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for their contribution to LBGTQ rights in Canada.^[40]

In 2016, Hickey was named a Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Champion for their longstanding commitment to human rights protection, particularly for LGBTQ people.^[41]