Latest news with #nonbinary
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'We'll still be trans even if politicians try to legislate us out of existence'
Juno Dawson is the bestselling author of the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series, non-fiction books This Book is Gay and What's The T?, and has written for the most recent series of Doctor Who. The author joins Yahoo's Queer Voices to discuss her new novel Human Rites, rising intolerance toward the trans community, and how to make real change. Human Rites is the final book in the HMRC series, and it is out now. This is a challenging time to be a trans or non-binary person. I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that things are getting better because actually they really do seem to be getting worse, and I do think there is a strange power in acknowledging that. But I take a strange comfort in knowing that cisgender politicians can try to legislate us out of existence, but we will still be trans. There isn't a tidal wave on this planet that could stop me from being who I am, and the genie's out of the bottle. Everybody in the world knows what it is to be transgender, what it is to be non-binary, and you can't put the genie back in the box. So let these people talk about it, and I think it's important that while they do that, we live our lives and we try to find joy locally in our communities, that we try to make the towns and cities and the villages that we live in as tolerant and inclusive and joyful as they can be. That's why we need Pride because, actually, these people do not want to see us flourish. And so I think it's more important than ever for us to party and to celebrate, and to be ourselves loudly and colourfully and joyfully. Ending the Her Majesty's Royal Coven trilogy with Human Rites Her Majesty's Royal Coven first came out in 2022, and it was always my hope that it would provide a sanctuary for all kinds of readers, but especially queer readers. I always wanted this to be a very diverse group of witches and, in particular, my coven was metaphorical for women, all women, and introducing Theo, who is a young trans witch, to that coven and to see the way that the coven embraces her was what I needed as both a reader and as an author. So the fact that since the first book came out, it really has reached so many LGBTQ+ people has meant the absolute world because this book has found its audience in a way that perhaps my previous novels hadn't. I started writing this book in 2020. It was the height of lockdown, we all had nowhere to go and nothing to do, I really did think we were all gonna die. But it blew my mind that there were so many people in the UK, particularly in the press, who were really, really obsessed with trans women and particularly trans youth, and so I kind of took it upon myself with this novel to try and figure out why some people have a problem with trans people. And so Theo is a young witch who arrives at this coven presenting as a young man but very, very quickly, the main character Niamh realises that she's a young trans woman, and while most of the witches welcomed her into the coven a witch called Helena has a real problem with Theo and doesn't think that she should be included in the coven. Through the character of Helen, I was able to kind of work out that the only reason you would have a problem with all trans women was if you had something prejudice within your heart, and that was really, really freeing for me as a trans woman. So, actually, the character of Theo has really unlocked a lot of my confusion about how we find ourselves in this position as a nation. We have now arrived at the final book in the trilogy, Human Rites, Part 3, and all the threads wrap up in this book. It's in two parts and in the first part we deal with all of the drama left over from book 2, I think I'm allowed to say now that Niamh, RIP, is back from the dead, Theo has brought her back at the end of book 2 and so the first half of the book deals with Niamh readjusting to being back in our world having come back from the beyond. Part 2 is all-out war, action sequences, no spoilers, but all the witches go to war, and there's a lot of action in the second half of the book. I hope people really like it. I'm really sad to leave the coven behind. I actually came up with the idea in 2018, so this represents about seven years of work, spending seven years in the company of these characters whom I've become incredibly fond of, and I know that readers have as well. But for now, it's time to move on and write new characters in different worlds, but I so enjoyed spending time with this coven and, honestly, it's changed my life. The importance of queer fiction and non-fiction Some people might not know that This Book is Gay, a non-fiction book I wrote 10 years ago as a guide for young LGBTQ people, is presently the third most banned or challenged book in the United States. And I think that shows that there is still absolutely a need for books about being LGBTQ, because to some people, there is still something controversial about us. There are young people all around the world getting this message that their identity, their feelings, is something that should be repressed, or hidden, or something to be ashamed of, and I don't think it is. I think there is always going to be a place for straight-talking fiction and nonfiction, especially because so much of what you read on the internet is contradictory and confusing and so full of vitriol. So my message has always been to young LGBTQ people that I'm fine and you're gonna be fine, and you are the way you are and we were Born This Way as Lady Gaga once memorably said. I wrote the Eurovision episode of Doctor Who that aired earlier this year. I have been a Doctor Who fan since I was a very small child. I used to write Doctor Who fan fiction — though we didn't call it that in the '90s — and it's a childhood dream come true. I woke up to an email from Russell T Davis, I think in early 2022, saying: 'Eurovision meets Die Hard, what do you think?' And I immediately was like, 'Oh my God, yes!' It's been such a privilege and a pleasure to work underneath Russell, going back and forward to Cardiff to the Bradwell studios, to see the whole process come together. I've been adapting my books and working on original scripts for a few years now, but to join something as huge as Doctor Who that's a massive global brand, it's on Disney+ now, to see something of that magnitude come together and to work with an incredible director like Ben Williams, and actors Ncuti Gatwa and Verada Sethu, it has truly been just the most brilliant experience. I kept waiting for it to get difficult, or for it to stop being fun, and it really didn't. I don't know what happens next when you've achieved your childhood dream. I don't really know how you follow that! Queer favourites As a child of the 90s, we were slightly starved of LGBTQ representation, but it was also a time of emerging representation. For me, the obvious one is Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, her relationship with Tara was really foundational. Jack on Dawson's Creek crying as he read his coming out poem, that's gonna stay with us. And, of course, things like Will and Grace and Will Young on Pop Idol, Nadia Almada on Big Brother. It was a really interesting time; it felt like being part of something. But I think where we're at now, we have greater diversity of characters, and the internet has meant that none of us are the only gay in the village anymore, we're all one global community. And, for me, the internet really changed my understanding of myself because what I didn't have was any trans role models, and without the internet, I wouldn't have found people like Andreja Pejić, Laverne Cox, Paris Lees, Munroe Bergdorf. It was those people who enabled me to realise who I was and see myself in those people. So that's why we we do need representation through the arts, but I also think it's really important to hear queer voices. The chaotic trans representation I probably needed to see growing up was Jules from Euphoria, so wonderful played by Hunter Schaefer. Because she's a mess and she's really flawed, and I think that would have brought me comfort as a teenager. There is no doubt in my mind that if I had been born 20 years later, I would have transitioned as a child, because I would have had that information at my fingertips, so I would have been Jules, kind of. Because I grew up in the '90s, there weren't really any out trans women really for me to identify with. However, there were lots of kind of queer-coded characters that I really loved as a child. The obvious one that comes to me immediately is Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns as Catwoman. There was something about her transformation from mild-mannered Selina Kyle into this kind of deadly vixen Cat Woman who takes revenge on the man who killed her, the man who oppressed her; there was something really empowering about that. And there was something about those kinds of characters who transformed, whether it was Shera or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there was something about that transformation that somehow really spoke to me as a young closeted trans person. So it was more, for me, about finding empowering female role models as much as it was about finding queer female role models. Looking to the future There's always backlash towards the LGBTQ+ community, I think, and that has always been the way for queer progress. We take a step forward, and we get knocked back. And there's always respectability politics around it, like 'Oh my gosh, you're protesting wrong, or you're the wrong kind of queer, you're the wrong kind of gay. You're too sexual, you're too trans, you're not trans enough.' There's always this sort of gnarliness around progress. But I think, for me, having really considered leaving the UK when things have been particularly hostile towards the trans community I sort of looked at places like New Zealand, which have sort of slid backwards a little bit in terms of their politics, and I've realised that politics is a game that politicians play and the barometer slides backwards and forwards. Right now, it's sliding worryingly backward, and I think we have to call it what it is: we are seeing the rise of fascism in various places around the world, and we shouldn't be shy about saying that. But I think the response to that is to stop worrying about things on a macro level and think about your local community, and that's why I think grassroots local Prides are increasingly important, because actually, we don't live on the same global stage as politicians. We live in our towns, we live in our villages, and we live in our cities, so what can we do on a really small local level to make sure that people have access to housing? Have access to healthcare, have access to food, what can we do to help people out of poverty? And I think that's the way forward, let's make sure that our local schools are the best possible schools that they can be. If I have to leave one message to trans youth, it's that you will outlive Donald Trump. The future of queer storytelling is interesting. The important thing for me, the phrase that has stayed with me that my friend told me, was to leave down the ladder and so it's really important for me to leave down the ladder. I've just read the most amazing fantasy novel by young trans writer called Petra Lord called Queen of Faces, for example. It's really weird because I have dealt with —and I'm not gonna name any names— some trans creators who want to be the only one. It's a bit like the Iron Throne; only one person can sit on the Iron Throne. Whereas I'm like, no, we need more because as I get older, I feel like my audience grows up with me. So we need new queer talent always coming in so that the generation below me and below that generation has a voice as well. It's just about leaving the ladder down and continuing investment in queer art. I mean that as well. I'm not just being polite.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Judge halts deportation of non-binary person, citing risks LGBTQ2S+ face in U.S.
Angel Jenkel is seen in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Angel Jenkel OTTAWA — A non-binary person is being allowed to temporarily remain in Canada after removal proceedings were stayed by a judge who said an immigration officer did not consider the potential dangers facing LGBTQ2S+ people in the U.S. Angel Jenkel came to Canada in August 2022, but says they overstayed their six month visitor visa while taking care of their now fiancé who requires 24/7 care due to epilepsy. Jenkel was scheduled to be returned to the U.S. on July 3, but raised the potential of irreparable harm and fear for safety if returned to the U.S. as rights and protections for trans and non-binary people are rolled back. A Federal Court decision says the immigration officer reviewing Jenkel's pre-removal risk assessment failed to consider recent developments in the U.S. and relied instead on information from January 2024 National Documentation Package which provided information on potential risks. Justice Julie Blackhawk says in her decision that the officer's approach was 'flawed and unreasonable' for not considering up-to-date risks for LGBTQ2S+ people in the U.S. Jenkel can now stay in Canada until a judicial review of Blackhawk's decision is complete, and if the result is favourable for Jenkel then their application to stay in Canada will be reopened and reviewed by a different officer. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025 David Baxter, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Girls' softball was an inclusive sport in Alberta. For this teen, a new law could end that
Riley Simpson has been playing softball since they were nine years old. They fell in love with the sport after watching their older sister play. In June, their softball team won the Edmonton city championship and Riley was hoping to play on higher-level teams as they grew and got better. In Alberta, where Riley is from, most competitive softball teams are girls' teams. This has never been a problem for Riley, who recently turned 15 years old and is non-binary, thanks to inclusive sporting policies, a co-ed mentality in softball and pre-puberty androgyny. But the provincial government has enacted a controversial new law excluding athletes assigned male at birth from women's sports teams — known as Bill 29, or the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act — which goes into effect on Sept. 1. Athletes not assigned female at birth will have to leave any girls' sports team belonging to any school, collegiate or provincial amateur competition level or play in boys' or co-ed divisions. Some say that unfairly targets young athletes in recreational leagues. The legislation is already having repercussions on some young athletes in the province: on June 24, Riley played what could effectively be their last competitive softball game ever. WATCH | Alberta's Bill 29 has caused polarized debate: "We won the city championship that day, so that's a good memory. But I also remember sitting on the pitching plate after the game, feeling so sad," Riley wrote, replying to emailed questions from CBC News. Riley's mother, Eldyka Simpson, was at the game in Edmonton and, over the phone, recounted how most of her child's teammates weren't up to date on the reality of the new law until the team was drinking a ginger ale toast and one of the coaches announced it would be Riley's last game, and that she was proud they were a part of the team. "Then people started to cry," Simpson said. The team went to Dairy Queen for Blizzards afterward, but Riley stayed back and sat on the pitching mound "and just cried and cried, and cried," Simpson said. Inclusion policy soon moot It had been a difficult season for the teenager, who earlier in the year was turned away from a higher-level under-15 team, then qualified for an even-higher calibre U17B team — but was later voted off in what Simpson can only explain as transphobic sentiment coming from a small number of parents. Simpson says one of them told her "boys don't belong" on a girls' softball team because they could have an advantage over the female players. Simpson, who is also an umpire and has three other children, was frustrated. She says there were girls on the team stronger than Riley, who would have been probably the third or fourth pitcher. She turned to Softball Alberta — the association overseeing Riley's team — asking it to enforce its inclusion policy. Thepolicy, which has been in place since 2018, says the provincial association adopts the practices outlined by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, including that players "should be able to participate in the gender with which they identify … nor should there be any requirement for hormonal therapy or surgery." In an email correspondence with the association, Simpson says it didn't appear to have any mechanisms for enforcing the policy and suggested the new law would render it moot anyway. Softball Alberta confirmed to CBC News that Riley was registered in one of its U15 girls' teams this year, but only forwarded information regarding the bill when asked about not having enforced the policy. Simpson said she was disappointed by the lack of support and, to her, it showed that gender had seemingly not been a problem in the sport before the United Conservative Party government introduced its bill. "Do we need to have rules at college level? Sure. Do we need to have rules at Olympic level? Sure. Do we need to have rules at scholarship level? Sure," she said. "But we're talking about kids playing community sport here." 'Forcing kids to stop playing the sport they love' In an emailed statement, Andrew Boitchenko, Alberta's minister of tourism and sport, said the province was working to create and expand co-ed divisions "so that transgender athletes can meaningfully participate in the sports of their choice." But Riley and their mom doubt there are currently enough players to fill a co-ed division right away. Instead, Riley said they are considering playing in an adult league with co-ed options next year. "I really don't want that. It makes me angry that the government is literally forcing kids to stop playing the sport they love," Riley said. Sara Kim, the co-ordinator of community care at Skipping Stone, an organization helping and advocating for trans people in Alberta, has been outspoken against the law and says the fact it includes recreational sports is an overreach. A hockey player herself, Kim says she won't be able to play in the two teams she's currently a part of come September. "It's humiliating," said Kim, who plays on an inclusive team with old friends, but won't be able to continue because the team plays for Hockey Alberta, an amateur sports organization subject to the legislation. "We're just normal people who want to enjoy our lives." When it comes to its effect on young people, Kim says the law is dragging children into a political debate they didn't ask to be a part of since it has no age barrier for who it applies to. Simpson, Riley's mother, says sports are inherently unfair — whether some kids are naturally stronger, more skilled, more passionate, have the right coaches, live in rural or urban communities and whether they have the capacity and the money to do training camps. She says she believes the government is introducing a problem where there had not been any and feels caught in the crossfire "It's a very big problem for a very small number of kids, but I am that family. My kid is that kid," she said. According to her, the law "makes a mockery of the strong girls that we're raising."
CBC
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Girls' softball was an inclusive sport in Alberta. For this teen, a new law could end that
Riley Simpson has been playing softball since they were nine years old. They fell in love with the sport after watching their older sister play. In June, their softball team won the Edmonton city championship and Riley was hoping to play on higher-level teams as they grew and got better. In Alberta, where Riley is from, most competitive softball teams are girls' teams. This has never been a problem for Riley, who recently turned 15 years old and is non-binary, thanks to inclusive sporting policies, a co-ed mentality in softball and pre-puberty androgyny. But the provincial government has enacted a controversial new law excluding athletes assigned male at birth from women's sports teams — known as Bill 29, or the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act — which goes into effect on Sept. 1. Athletes not assigned female at birth will have to leave any girls' sports team belonging to any school, collegiate or provincial amateur competition level or play in boys' or co-ed divisions. Some say that unfairly targets young athletes in recreational leagues. The legislation is already having repercussions on some young athletes in the province: on June 24, Riley played what could effectively be their last competitive softball game ever. WATCH | Alberta's Bill 29 has caused polarized debate: Alberta government releases details on a bill about transgender athletes 1 month ago The provincial government has released details about how it intends to enforce its ban on transgender athletes competing in women's and girls' sports. CBC's Sam Brooks takes us through the implications of Bill 29. "We won the city championship that day, so that's a good memory. But I also remember sitting on the pitching plate after the game, feeling so sad," Riley wrote, replying to emailed questions from CBC News. Riley's mother, Eldyka Simpson, was at the game in Edmonton and, over the phone, recounted how most of her child's teammates weren't up to date on the reality of the new law until the team was drinking a ginger ale toast and one of the coaches announced it would be Riley's last game, and that she was proud they were a part of the team. "Then people started to cry," Simpson said. The team went to Dairy Queen for Blizzards afterward, but Riley stayed back and sat on the pitching mound "and just cried and cried, and cried," Simpson said. Inclusion policy soon moot It had been a difficult season for the teenager, who earlier in the year was turned away from a higher-level under-15 team, then qualified for an even-higher calibre U17B team — but was later voted off in what Simpson can only explain as transphobic sentiment coming from a small number of parents. Simpson says one of them told her "boys don't belong" on a girls' softball team because they could have an advantage over the female players. Simpson, who is also an umpire and has three other children, was frustrated. She says there were girls on the team stronger than Riley, who would have been probably the third or fourth pitcher. She turned to Softball Alberta — the association overseeing Riley's team — asking it to enforce its inclusion policy. The policy, which has been in place since 2018, says the provincial association adopts the practices outlined by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, including that players "should be able to participate in the gender with which they identify … nor should there be any requirement for hormonal therapy or surgery." In an email correspondence with the association, Simpson says it didn't appear to have any mechanisms for enforcing the policy and suggested the new law would render it moot anyway. Softball Alberta confirmed to CBC News that Riley was registered in one of its U15 girls' teams this year, but only forwarded information regarding the bill when asked about not having enforced the policy. Simpson said she was disappointed by the lack of support and, to her, it showed that gender had seemingly not been a problem in the sport before the United Conservative Party government introduced its bill. "Do we need to have rules at college level? Sure. Do we need to have rules at Olympic level? Sure. Do we need to have rules at scholarship level? Sure," she said. "But we're talking about kids playing community sport here." 'Forcing kids to stop playing the sport they love' In an emailed statement, Andrew Boitchenko, Alberta's minister of tourism and sport, said the province was working to create and expand co-ed divisions "so that transgender athletes can meaningfully participate in the sports of their choice." But Riley and their mom doubt there are currently enough players to fill a co-ed division right away. Instead, Riley said they are considering playing in an adult league with co-ed options next year. "I really don't want that. It makes me angry that the government is literally forcing kids to stop playing the sport they love," Riley said. Sara Kim, the co-ordinator of community care at Skipping Stone, an organization helping and advocating for trans people in Alberta, has been outspoken against the law and says the fact it includes recreational sports is an overreach. A hockey player herself, Kim says she won't be able to play in the two teams she's currently a part of come September. "It's humiliating," said Kim, who plays on an inclusive team with old friends, but won't be able to continue because the team plays for Hockey Alberta, an amateur sports organization subject to the legislation. "We're just normal people who want to enjoy our lives." When it comes to its effect on young people, Kim says the law is dragging children into a political debate they didn't ask to be a part of since it has no age barrier for who it applies to. Simpson, Riley's mother, says sports are inherently unfair — whether some kids are naturally stronger, more skilled, more passionate, have the right coaches, live in rural or urban communities and whether they have the capacity and the money to do training camps. She says she believes the government is introducing a problem where there had not been any and feels caught in the crossfire "It's a very big problem for a very small number of kids, but I am that family. My kid is that kid," she said. According to her, the law "makes a mockery of the strong girls that we're raising."
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Brazil's controversial conversion therapies: Rising concerns for transgender people
Brazil is home to over 4 million trans and non-binary people, the largest transgender population recorded anywhere. As the first country on the continent to legalise gay marriage, Brazil is seen as one of the most advanced in terms of LGBT rights. Yet it is also the country where the most trans people in the world are killed and raped. Fuelled by far-right discourse, evangelical fundamentalism is gaining ground. A number of churches, such as Libertos por Deus (Liberated by God) and its pastor Flavio Amaral, are setting up highly controversial conversion therapies. Our correspondent reports.
