Gemma Hickey is a multi-award-winning international author and advocate who never set out to make history; they simply couldn’t accept the world as it was. Growing up on Franklyn Avenue with a determined single mother, Gemma saw inequity firsthand and decided early on that doing nothing wasn’t an option.
Gemma studied World Religions and Gender Studies at Memorial University, fields that taught them to see the world not as it was, but as it could be. This lens led them to create the award-winning film The River on environmental injustice and present a marriage equality brief to the House of Commons.
After graduation, Gemma developed youth programs at Planned Parenthood and Wesley United Church and designed a city-wide poverty reduction plan with the Food Security Network NL. During the pandemic, they put this plan into action, providing hundreds of free meals in Centre City through partnerships with local restaurants and nonprofits like Bridges to Hope and the Women’s Centre.
Gemma’s volunteer record is second to none. They have chaired various nonprofit boards addressing mental health, addiction, housing, and homelessness, playing a key role in the creation of two vital supportive housing facilities: the Tommy Sexton Centre and Marguerite’s Place. As Executive Director of Artforce NL for 15 years, Gemma’s leadership went beyond the desk; they slept on the streets to better understand the challenges faced by the young people they served.
A survivor and founder of several organizations supporting those harmed by religious institutions, Gemma raised funds for the Pathways Foundation NL by walking across Newfoundland. Eight years later, they led survivors on a pilgrimage to the Vatican. Today, Gemma is a recognized authority on the issue, working with Vatican experts to revise Canon Law and serving as President of Ending Clergy Abuse Global.
Gemma has reshaped legal precedents both nationally and internationally. As President of two major Canadian human rights organizations, they were instrumental in legalizing same-sex marriage, lifting the discriminatory blood ban, and banning conversion therapy. In 2017, their historic court victory against the Newfoundland and Labrador government, securing gender-neutral identification, became a watershed moment in Canada and beyond.
A highly sought-after public speaker, Gemma has appeared on major global media outlets and addressed audiences at the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and various embassies. They have lectured at prestigious universities, including the Pontifical Gregorian University, on topics such as the Hughes Inquiry and Winter Commission, while also speaking at local schools, churches, and Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.
Gemma’s influence extends into the arts. They have served on numerus arts boards, and their life was the subject of the documentary Just Be Gemma (Walsh Productions, 2017), which screened nationally and internationally. Their debut memoir, Almost Feral (Breakwater Books, 2019), won multiple awards, was named one of CBC Books’ “40 Essential Canadian Reads,” and earned Gemma recognition as one of Canada’s “24 Writers to Watch.” The book also gained international recognition with its publication in Japan.
Decorated with some of Canada’s highest civilian honours, including a Governor General’s Award, Gemma proves that history is shaped not just by institutions, but by individuals who see what’s wrong, envision what’s right, and tirelessly work to bridge the two. Now living on Grenfell Avenue with their partner and rescue dog, Polly, Gemma is running to be the next MHA of St. John’s Centre. Their lifelong campaign of service has come full circle, back to where it all began — home.