2SLGBTQ+ community worries about Trump's anti-trans rhetoric coming to Canada

CBC

17-02-2025

As U.S. President Donald Trump makes sweeping legislative changes, limiting rights and support for transgender people, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community north of the border also fear for their future.
On Sunday, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community and their allies rallied outside the Colonial Building in St. John's to demonstrate against Trump's anti-trans legislation.
Event organizer Randi Sipu Whelan said they have noticed a rise in hate toward the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
"A lot of that is coming from our neighbours to the south," Whelan said.
Immediately after his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order terminating policies protecting 2SLGTBQ+ rights, stating that the U.S. will only recognize two sexes and that they can't be changed.
He also signed an order cutting support for gender-affirming care for people under 19 years old, which was recently temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
Earlier this month, he signed an executive order banning transgender women from women's sports.
Even though the current U.S. administration is trying to redefine gender, event organizer Megs Scott said that it won't erase trans people's existence.
"[Trump] can't write us out of history. He can't write us out of existence. And that's why we're showing up here, to show people that we are still here," said Scott.
Alyx Burton attended Sunday's rally to stand alongside her community.
"I'm scared for my friends that are in the States," she said. "I just wanted to come out and show anyone I could that they're not alone and that I will be here fighting for them."
Burton said she was feeling a lot of anger during the rally, but also some joy that the community could come together to show resilience.
"We're not going anywhere," she said.
Burton is worried that Trump's anti-trans agenda will have a global reach and make its way over the border.
"We don't want any of that here. And you know, we want trans people to feel safe. We want everyone to feel safe," she said.
Whelan and Scott said that anti-trans sentiments have already made their way into Canadian politics.
In 2023, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick announced a new policy requiring parental consent for students under 16 to use different pronouns in school. In Alberta, the United Conservative Party tabled bills to restrict gender-affirming care for minors.
"It's already happening in our provinces and it's not something we can ignore any longer," said Scott.
Last year, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre called transgender women "biological males," and stated they should banned from women's sports, change rooms and bathrooms. Last month, he told CP-24 in Toronto he isn't aware of more than two genders, choosing not to recognize gender-neutral or two-spirit identities.
"As far as I'm concerned we should have a government that minds its own business," Poilievre added.
Whelan said they're worried about Poilievre's comments, but they're ready to fight back.
They're also calling for the government to place more legislative protections on 2SLGBTQ+ human rights, including protections to use the bathroom and use the pronouns and names they want.
"We want that written into legislation so that we have more protection if things do get rocky," said Whelan.
Scott said they also want the government to make a statement demonstrating its support for the trans community.
"We are here, we are queer, we have always been here, and our resilience and our joy is what's going to get us through this hard time," said Whelan.