Kate Toyer, BVSc, MANZCVS (Surgery)

Ever since she was little, Kate wanted to be two things: a veterinarian and a woman. The only child of a single mother in the 1970s, she was the first in her family to gain entry to university in one of the “big 3” degrees—medicine, dentistry or veterinary science—graduating in 1995 with a BVSc from Sydney University.

Becoming a veterinarian though was a LOT easier than her other dream, of becoming a woman. Assigned male at birth, Kate started her transition journey in 2011 when being trans was still effectively regarded as a mental health disorder and well before trans women appeared on the cover of Time magazine or received Golden Globe awards.

Due in no small part to the incredible support of her wife and children, Kate was able to transition to her true self and continue to thrive in her veterinary career.

That is not to say the journey was, or is, easy: Fear, discrimination, and bias, both conscious and unconscious, are a part of her daily life outside and inside the veterinary profession. Brought up by a single mother who had fought more than her fair share of battles against discrimination of all kinds, Kate is a feminist at heart and now uses her power and privilege to advocate for those who are on the margins of society and the veterinary community.