In the last couple of days, the UCP government has unveiled a collection of transphobic and harmful political policies they plan to enshrine into law. While the government states that they wish to “depoliticize the issue,” any decision to restrict freedom, including freedom to access medical care, is inherently a political decision.
We believe that supportive families and their children should have the right to decide, for themselves, what forms of medical care are appropriate. We believe that supportive families are already in loving discussions with their trans, non-binary, and questioning youth about their gender identities. If a minor has not shared with their family their identity, pronouns or name preferences, this reveals that the family is an unsafe space for them. In this light, mandatory reporting by schools puts trans and non-binary youth at greater risk of harm. While Premier Smith cites child protection laws, we know that these laws currently fail to protect trans youth who are facing unsupportive home environments, as unsupported trans youth often experience increased mental health challenges and suicide rates, and are overrepresented among houseless youth.
We affirm that trans women are women and deserve access to women’s spaces including sport. The proposed policy of creating “biological women and girls” leagues runs counter to evidence that trans women and girls do not have measurable advantages in sport. We denounce Premier Smith’s portrayal of trans women as a threat to safety in women’s sports. We believe that the government has no place in legislating the actions of sporting leagues beyond ensuring their adherence to human rights laws and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The UCP government’s proposed policies draw upon hateful rhetoric that pathologize gender diversity. These policies are designed to create a moral panic and portray gender diversity as a threat to the province and our society. The real threat is the incalculable harm that their policies will enact upon gender diverse individuals in our society, especially gender diverse children and youth.
As members of the 2S/LGBTQIA+ community, we at QTHC stand in solidarity with the trans, non-binary and gender diverse youth and their families who are directly impacted by these harmful policies. We commit to advocating for and supporting our community with everything we have.
In Solidarity,
The Queer & Trans Health Collective
If you are in need of support, please reach out:
https://kidshelpphone.ca/urgent-help CALL 1-800-668-6868
https://www.briteline.ca/ CALL 1-844-702-7483
You can also email us, the Queer & Trans Health Collective, at connect@peernpeer.ca. Please note this email is not monitored 24/7 but we will get back to you as soon as we can.