DSS is deeply saddened to report that Chris Morrissey, OC, passed away Monday April 14th 2025
Chris Morrissey was a Canadian 2SLGBTQIA+ activist who successfully challenged Canada’s immigration laws in 1992 when her Irish-American partner’s application for immigration was rejected.
The pair launched a legal challenge alleging discrimination on the basis of gender, family and sexual orientation because Morrissey was unable to sponsor a partner the same way a heterosexual person could.
Hearing from other couples experiencing the same issue, Morrissey and her partner Bridget Coll founded the Lesbian and Gay Immigration Task Force (LEGIT) in Vancouver to assist same-sex couples of different nationalities find legal loopholes to enable their cohabitation within Canada.
In 2002, the federal government introduced new laws that allowed one common-law partner to sponsor another.
She co-founded and led Rainbow Refugee in Canada, an organization that assists 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals to leave countries where persecution exists and resettle in Canada.
Among Chris’s many accolades, she was a recipient of the Officer of the Order of Canada award and one of Dignity Seniors Society’s inaugural Q-Elders Project recipients.
From transition homes for women leaving violence, to our local 2SLGBTQIA+ community centre (now QMUNITY), Queer seniors advocacy, and disability justice at the City of Vancouver, there are so many ways that her work lives on through bettering the lives of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Canada.
Chris passed away peacefully surrounded by her chosen family. Until her final days, she remained dedicated to supporting immigrants, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and other marginalized groups through her advocacy and community work.
Thank you Chris for your hard work in breaking down the barriers in Canada for 2SLGBTQIA+ immigration, and for your tireless work on behalf of queer seniors advocacy. 🙏
— Barb Snelgrove, for DSS
Images: Chris Morrissey (Q-Elders Project) | Barb & Chris
