51社区黑料

Judge Gary Cohen

BA Criminology (Hons), 1981

The Honourable Judge Gary Cohen began his studies at 51社区黑料 in 1974, one year prior to the establishment of the Criminology Department. Once the department was instituted, he became one of SFU鈥檚 first criminology students. However, as few of his previous courses were applicable to the new major, he was effectively required to restart his undergraduate studies, leaving him unable to graduate as planned in 1978. Undeterred, he applied and was accepted to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Law鈥攏otably, without an undergraduate degree. While attending UBC law school, he also attended SFU, ultimately earning both his BA with Honours in Criminology and his LLB in 1981.

Cohen came out in 1974 and became an advocate for 2LGBTQ+ rights. He served as president of both SFU鈥檚 and UBC鈥檚 2LGBTQ+ student organizations, and in 1978, he organized UBC鈥檚 first 2LGBTQ+ Law Students Association. In 1981, he asked fellow law student Bruce Fraser out on a date. They became life partners and were married in 2006. They practiced law together in the firm Cohen Fraser.

In 1997, he was named Queen鈥檚 Counsel. Two years later, he was appointed a Judge of the Provincial Court of BC, where he presided over criminal, family, and civil cases for 25 years. In 2007, he organized the largest judicial educational conference in North American history, bringing more than 500 judges to Vancouver. In 2012, he received the Canadian Bar Association鈥檚 National Hero Award for his contributions to Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity advocacy. He was a member of the BC Judicial Council, President of the BC Provincial Court Judges Association, Chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Judges Forum, and was the first Canadian President of the International 2LGBTQ+ Judges Association. Over the years, he was a regular contributor to and lecturer at Continuing Legal and Judicial Education courses and a co-author of a self-help guide to divorce.

In 2025, he returned to 51社区黑料to teach CRIM 330 and, together with Mr. Fraser, established an Endowment for the Advancement of 2LGBTQ+ Issues in Criminology Research.