Jonathon Braun and his teammate strive for positive queer representation for 2SLGBTQIA+ kids
The University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law has shared that alumnus Jonathon Braun, who has been legal director at Vancouver’s Migrant Workers Centre, is competing in season 11 of The Amazing Race Canada.
Thus far, Braun and Jesse Harink, his friend and teammate, have emerged victorious at the race’s first three legs and won $35,000, plus trips to Bali, Tokyo, and New Zealand, according to Allard Law’s news release.
“Going into this experience, I knew that I was going to need to respond well under pressure, move forward from setbacks, adapt quickly, pay attention to details and carefully analyze problems,” Braun said in the news release. “Ten years of experience working in law has helped me develop many of these skills.”
The news release noted that the last time a team prevailed in the race’s first three legs was in the second season of the reality television show.
According to Allard Law, Braun considers himself a “superfan” of the show and applied to be a cast member multiple times. He then met Harink at one of the latter’s drag performances. After becoming friends, they formed a team, applied to the show, and got in on their third try.
The law school shared that Braun and Harink, who had numerous 2SLGBTQIA+ role models on reality TV while growing up, are striving to be a positive representation for the next generation of young queer people.
“I hope queer youth see love and support through any negativity and know that it exists out there for them too, even if they are not feeling it at home or in school,” Braun said in the law school’s news release. “I also hope that, in seeing our genuine joy and love and support for one another, they get some hope that this joy exists out there for them too.”
“The best way to fight hate is with joy,” Harink added in the news release.
More on Braun
Braun’s LinkedIn page provided more information on his professional experience and educational background.
Since joining the Migrant Workers Centre in November 2021, he has served as its legal director, staff lawyer, and acting executive director. His work has included overseeing the centre’s legal tasks, policy, and advocacy, as well as offering free legal representation, advice, and education to migrant workers, mostly in the fields of immigration and employment law.
“I love my work and the mission of the Migrant Workers Centre,” Braun said, adding that he hoped that his appearance on the reality TV show would shed “some light on migrant workers and their rights.”
At Black, Burke, & Mayor Labour and Employment Lawyers in downtown Vancouver, Braun worked as
an associate from May 2019 to February 2021 and as an articling student from April 2018 to May 2019.
He also served as a legal advocate at the West Coast Domestic Workers' Association in Vancouver from October 2015 to April 2018, as a legal advocate and summer student at Disability Alliance BC in Vancouver from May 2014 to August 2014, and as an external relations coordinator at the University of British Columbia from May 2013 to May 2014.
“I can't stress enough the benefit of doing something outside of work that excites you, challenges you, and makes you nervous,” Braun said in the law school’s news release.
Braun earned his JD from Allard Law in 2015 and his honours specialization in history from the University of Ottawa in 2012.
