Reuters/Kevin Lamarque – Picture has been edited by Les 3 sex*

Article • May 17: No Rest for LGBTQ+phobias

17 May 2024
px
text

☛ Cette chronique est aussi disponible en français [➦].
Translated by Florence Bois-Villeneuve

Outing the outdated. This is the theme chosen by Fondation Émergence this year for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. This theme echoes a sad reality: the many setbacks for LGBTQ+ rights in recent years. From attacks on trans children to threats against the rights of same-gender parents, it goes without saying: LGBTQ+ rights are taking a step backwards.

px
text

Canada and United States: LGBTQ+ rights under attack

In Canada, a country internationally considered as a safe place for LGBTQ+ people, attacks on LGBTQ+ rights have increased over the past year. Whether in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan or Alberta, everyone seems to be firing at the same target: trans and/or non-binary children. In fact, all three provinces have passed laws governing the rights of children in schools. Now, in these provinces, a child needs the consent of their parents to change their first name or the pronouns used in school. This reform is criticized by many specialists and other education professionals for its negative impacts not only on trans and/or non-binary youth, but also on other young people who may want to change their first name for different reasons.

In both Canada and the U.S., people who support these anti-trans laws all put forth the same idea: “parental rights,” according to which parents should be the ones to determine what is and is not right for their child. According to trans lawyer and activist Florence Ashley, this is a “perverse idea.” They explained that while parents do have legal authority, it must be exercised with the well-being of the child in mind. Basically, the legal authority of parents should stop the moment it jeopardizes the child’s well-being, because children are not the property of their parents. And scientific studies suggest the same thing: the ability of a trans child to transition has an immediate positive effect on the child’s development. More specifically, according to a 2020 study, trans and non-binary youth who have access to puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones are 60% less likely to suffer from moderate or severe depression. They are also 73% less likely to consider self-harm or suicide. So we easily see why it can be considered “perverse” to claim that parents have the right to prevent their children from accessing life-saving treatment and support.

In this debate there is much talk about parental rights, but little about children’s rights. According to Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted by the United Nations in 1989 and ratified by Canada and Quebec in 1991, children have the right to respect for their own perspective, commensurate with their maturity. According to Florence Ashley, the notion of parental rights as presented by some anti-trans activists is incompatible with children’s rights. It reflects an outdated version of our law, one that was modified after decades of struggle for the recognition of children’s rights in the 20th century. Jeopardizing these advances is a slippery slope, one that could be dangerous not only for the rights of trans children, but for those of all children. 

px
text

What about Quebec?

In Quebec, until the summer of 2023, Premier François Legault’s government seemed to have a different approach. In 2022, the Minister of Justice showed a real willingness to work with LGBTQ+ communities in the process leading up to the adoption of Bill 2. However, it should be noted that the initial version of this bill contained some problematic elements, such as the addition of a requirement to have undergone genital surgery in order to legally change one’s gender marker. This setback was only prevented thanks to the mobilization of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. After an extensive consultation process, the final version of the bill resulted in a number of breakthroughs, including the legal recognition of non-binary people with the X marker and the possibility for non-citizens to change their gender designation. 

But in just over a year, things have changed considerably. 

At the end of 2023, after two media controversies surrounding gender-neutral restrooms in schools and a non-binary teacher who wanted their students to call them “Mx”, Premier François Legault mandated Minister of Families Suzanne Roy to create a new committee to study gender identity issues. When the committee was first created, LGBTQ+ organizations raised the alarm, denouncing the absence of trans and/or non-binary people, or even people working with trans and/or non-binary people, on the committee.

In early 2024, we learned that the Quebec government was preventing the application of its own law (Bill 2) by ordering the SAAQ and RAMQ not to issue identity cards with a gender X marker, even though they both had announced that they had the capacity to do so.

A few weeks ago, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, banned the construction of new mixed toilets in public schools, while a public service report from his own department just two years ago recommended that mixed toilets be expanded in schools for both inclusion and economic reasons. 

While waves of anti-LGBTQ+ protests and hatred from the United States seem to have reached Quebec in the past year, we cannot help but wonder whether these manifestations of LGBTQ+phobias are influencing our government’s policies, and especially its tone when it comes to talking about LGBTQ+ issues.

px
text

LGBTQ+phobias without borders

The decline in LGBTQ+ rights is not limited to Canada and the United States. After the issue of abortion and the public health measures introduced in response to COVID-19, the rights of LGBTQ+ people and the protection of traditional families seem to be the new issue that conservative movements in various Western countries have latched onto to galvanize their supporters. 

In Italy, in 2023, the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni began deleting the names of dozens of lesbian mothers from their children’s birth certificates, advocating that only the biological mother could appear on a child’s birth certificate. Last month, a judge reversed that decision, but Meloni’s government could still decide to appeal the judgment

A few weeks ago, the Vatican published Dignitas Infinitas, a document in which Pope Francis describes “gender theory” as “very dangerous ideological colonization.” The same text states: “It follows that any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.”

In France, right-wing parties are joining forces to ban puberty blockers for minors and criminalize health professionals who decide to treat trans and/or non-binary children. 

px
text

LGBTQ+phobic incidents on the rise

Beyond the major political and religious institutions, we are witnessing a resurgence of LGBTQ+phobias, but also of conservatism in general, within many societies around the world. This trend is gaining alarming ground, particularly among the younger generations. 

Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of The Policy Institute at King’s College London, says this is an unusual generational profile. In fact, he says, new generations are usually more comfortable with emerging social norms, having grown up surrounded by them. For him, the persistent minority of young people who are strongly opposed to the new social norms poses a real risk of division within the younger generation.

In Quebec, teachers report an increase in LGBTQ+-phobic incidents at school. According to a 24 heures article, a Montreal teacher reported that more and more students are openly homophobic. 

A few months ago, a study by King’s College reported by The Guardian showed that men aged 16 to 29 are more likely than baby boomers to have a negative perception of feminism. 

In February 2023, Brianna Ghey, a British trans teenager, was stabbed multiple times. Her killers, who were also her classmates, later confessed that it was a premeditated murder.

In March 2024, Alex Franco, a 21-year-old trans man, was abducted and murdered by two 18-year-old teenagers in the state of Utah. 

Also in March 2024, an 18-year-old man was arrested in Detroit, Michigan, in connection with the murder of Ashia Davis, a 34-year-old black trans woman. 

Through social media, Generation Z and Generation Alpha have access to content designed specifically for them. From tradwives* to Andrew Tate** to incels***, conservative movements are taking social media by storm, putting forward ideas that threaten LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights and the rights of racialized and Indigenous people.

px
text

Community resilience

Despite difficult times, the mobilization of LGBTQ+ communities is not running out of steam. In Canada and Europe, but also in countries where LGBTQ+ identities are still criminalized, we are witnessing an unprecedented mobilization of LGBTQ+ communities and their allies. In addition to getting organized to fight back against the LGBTQ+phobic attacks coming from all sides, LGBTQ+ communities are creating spaces for mutual aid and support for their most vulnerable members. In many cases, these spaces fill a gap, meet urgent needs and can even save lives. 

In this context, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia is an opportunity to come together, to educate and to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ realities and, most importantly, about the consequences of LGBTQ+phobic actions. 

px
text

***

*The tradwife movement (short for “traditional wife”) is a movement calling for the return of married women as housewives. The movement encourages women to dedicate their lives to their families and children and to submit to their husbands. 

**Andrew Tate is a self-proclaimed “misogynist” influencer. He is associated with the masculinist movement. He is known for popularizing violent language against women among young men on social media. Andrew Tate is also accused of sexual assault and procuring, among others. 

***Incels (“involuntary celibates”) form online communities whose members define themselves as unable to find a romantic or sexual partner. These predominantly cisgender and heterosexual men blame their lack of relationship on women and their sexual, social and economic liberation. 

px
text
Sources
sexual rights, queer, sexual orientation, gender identity, progress, decline

Comments

Log in ou Create an account . Only subscribed members can comment.