“if someone ever sends you a message that tries to shrink who you are—answer it not with silence, not with shame, but with purpose.”
Yesterday, our President and Founder, Wilbur Turner, received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of British Columbia Okanagan.
For those who don’t yet know Wilbur Turner, we invite you to get to know him. He’s a force in this world—someone who makes it better for everyone. His purpose inspires us all.
The presentation of Wilbur Turner’s Honorary Doctor of Laws degree was met with a standing ovation from a packed crowd, and the audience was captivated as he delivered a powerful message during his Convocation Address. There were tears, laughter, and—perhaps most importantly—a message of hope and purpose. As his address concluded, the room once again rose to their feet to express their gratitude for his achievements.
We’ve included a link to his address and the script below. We encourage each of you to watch, listen, or read.
On behalf of our Board of Directors, members, community partners, and the entire 2SLGBTQIA+ community—congratulations, Dr. Turner!
Wilbur’s Convocation Address UBCO 2025
YOUTUBE VIDEO BELOW or CLICK HERE
Good Morning Everyone
First off—let me say what an honour it is to be here. And let me also say, just so we’re clear, I didn’t write a thesis, I didn’t pull any all-nighters in the library, and I haven’t touched a lab coat since high school. And yet… here I am, getting an honorary Doctor of Laws. I am surprised and feel incredibly honoured.
I also feel very privileged to be able to be a part of this great institution as a guest lecturer at the School of Nursing and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
When I was asked to speak today, I thought: what do you say to a room full of bright minds at the beginning of something big? I want to talk about purpose.
Not the kind you scribble down in a five-year plan—or paste on your vision board next to a picture of a cabin in Tofino—but the kind of purpose that sneaks up on you.
You see, sometimes we get to choose our purpose. And sometimes… it chooses us.
I didn’t start out with a clear purpose in life. I pursued things I loved. I tried to do good work. I tried to be kind. But I hadn’t really defined a “life mission.” I was just… living it.
And then a few years ago, I got an email from my mother. Now, emails from your mother can range from recipes to mysterious chain letters that promise wealth if you forward them to five friends. But this one was different.
In it, she wrote: “I hate the life you live.”
It took the wind right out of me. See, my mother had never fully come to terms with the fact that she has a gay son. And those six words… well, they hurt. Deeply. But they also did something unexpected. They clarified things for me.
That email made me realize that I had already been living my purpose—it just didn’t come with a label until then. My purpose is to live authentically. To advocate for others who’ve been told, directly or indirectly, that who they are is a problem.
And to help build a world where no one has to get an email like that—where no one has to choose between being accepted and being themselves.
So I leaned into that purpose—not with bitterness, but with clarity and conviction.
And what I discovered was something powerful. I found meaning. I found community. And I found a kind of reward that doesn’t hang on a wall or sit on a shelf, but lives in the moments when your life begins to align with your values.
The kind of reward that comes from watching others flourish because you helped make space for them to be fully themselves.
To you graduates —you’re stepping into a world that urgently needs your curiosity, your compassion, your bold questions, and yes, even your specific love of research, black holes, or 19th-century political literature. (And if that last one’s your thing—bless your heart).
Some of you know exactly what you want to do. Others are still figuring it out. That’s okay. Don’t panic if you don’t have your life’s purpose tattooed on your forearm.
Just follow what feels real. Pay attention to what breaks your heart—and what lights it up again.
Be open to the possibility that purpose might find you when you least expect it.
And when it does, welcome it. Even if it’s inconvenient. Especially if it’s inconvenient.
I’ll leave you with this: if someone ever sends you a message that tries to shrink who you are—answer it not with silence, not with shame, but with purpose.
Because your purpose might just be the answer the world has been waiting for.
Thank you. And congratulations.
