Organizations advocating for LGBTQ2S+ rights in Quebec are speaking out against comments made by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who said he’s only aware of two genders.
“Trans people are under attack to the degree that we haven’t seen for decades. And I’ll say I’m scared for my life right now,” said trans rights activist Celeste Trianon.
Poilievre’s comments came in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order rolling back transgender and identity rights.
“I’m aware of two, and as far as I’m concerned, we should have a government that minds its own damn business and leaves people alone,” the opposition leader said in response to a reporter’s question about whether he recognized more than two genders.
Human rights lawyer Pearl Eliadis said there’s a lot of disinformation on social media conflating sex and gender.
“It almost feels like, politicians who are using this anti-woke agenda are exploiting people’s fear and lack of understanding of a really complex social and sometimes biological issue,” Eliadis noted.
While Poilievre mentioned that the government should mind its own business, James Galantino, the head of Conseil Québécois LGBT, is concerned about the comments.
“To protect our validation and existence legally, it is actually the government’s business, and it’s in the charter,” Galantino said.
Trans and non-binary people are recognized and protected under Canadian law.
Eliadis said it’s fair to be concerned that those rights could be at risk, especially now that Quebec’s secularism law Bill 21 is heading to the Supreme Court.
“We now have a conversation that’s been put in place about the way the notwithstanding clause can be used, and it’ll be very interesting to see the ripple effect this is going to have on governments that reach for the notwithstanding clause, including in the area of gender identity in the future,” Eliadis added.
Leaving the community fearing that decades of hard work could be slipping away.
