Latest news with #transcommunity
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Toronto's Pride month kicks off. Here's what to expect
Pride Month kicks off June 1 in Toronto, and the city will be filled with events celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community. As the largest Pride celebration in Canada, the city's annual events attract millions of visitors every year. From flag raising ceremonies to the big Pride Parade weekend, Pride Toronto's executive director Kojo Modeste says there are events for everyone. "We have a lineup that is going to be spectacular, that's going to celebrate the 2SLGBTQ+ community, but will also send a very strong message that we are all in, that we are here and we are here to stay," Modeste told CBC Toronto. Modeste says this year's Pride month will highlight the transgender and non-binary community, and that it's important to use Pride as a platform for visibility, education, and advocacy. "We're very deliberate to really showcase that the 2SLGBTQ+ community stands with the trans community because we have seen the attacks that have been directed especially to our trans siblings," said Modeste. According to data from Statistics Canada, police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation, sex and gender increased each year from 2019 to 2023. Pride Toronto is working with city agencies to ensure the events remain safe for everyone, says Modeste. "At Pride Toronto, we take safety of both the participants or community visitors very seriously," said Modeste. "Pride has a track record of being a safe event and we are going to be maintaining that." Modeste says Pride Toronto will have a 99 per cent Canadian lineup to send out a message about local representation. This year's Pride Toronto theme, "All In," is meant to celebrate the city and reflect the core values of Canadians, Modeste adds. Throughout the month of June, the festival will showcase over 400 performers, eight stages and over 300 hours of programming. The executive director of the Church and Wellesley Village BIA, Jaret Sereda, says Pride events bring plenty of visitors to the area, which in turn helps local businesses. "We love the increased foot traffic," Sereda told CBC. "We want to support all our local businesses and we encourage everybody to shop local." The Church and Wellesley Village BIA will host its 11th annual VillageFest from June 20 to June 22. Sereda says this year's festival has been revamped, and will take place in the parking lot across from Woody's and SAILOR restaurant. He says the show will be filled with Canadian talent and is encouraging people to attend it and support it. "It doesn't matter what sexuality you express and who you are. We invite everybody. This is an event for everyone," he said. The city has provided the full list of Pride events. Here are some of them: Flag-Raising events: Mayor Olivia Chow, Members of Council and representatives from Pride Toronto will kick off Toronto's Pride month at Nathan Phillips Square on June 2 at 5 p.m. with performances by Sanjina DaBish Queen, Trash Panda Brass, Tempo Choir & DJ Blackcat. North York Civic Centre Flag-Raising on June 4 at 9 a.m. Etobicoke Flag-Raising at Montgomery's Inn on June 4 at 4 p.m. Scarborough Civic Centre Flag-Raising at Albert Campbell Square on June 5 at 9 a.m. Nathan Phillips Square events: Pride Toronto's Opening Night on June 27 at 6 p.m. Attendees can expect a lineup of 2SLGBTQ+ dance artists including Rebecca Black, Kiesza, Priyanka and Singing Out Choir. Pride Toronto's Drag Ball on June 28 from 2 p.m. to midnight. The drag event will return with over 70 drag acts from Canada and beyond. Pride Toronto's Closing Night on June 29 at 2 p.m. Pride Parade will close out the night with a party at Nathan Phillips Square. Street events: Gay History Walk at Church-Wellesley Neighbourhood on June 6, 12 and 20 at 2 p.m. St. Lawrence Market Street Pride at Market Street on June 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Church Street Pride Fair on Church Street on June 27 to 29. Trans March on Church Street on June 27. People will rally at 7 p.m. and march at 8 p.m. Dyke March on Church Street on June 28. People will rally at 1 p.m. and march at 2 p.m. Pride Parade from Church and Bloor Streets to Nathan Phillips Square on June 29 from 2 to 6 p.m. Family and youth events: Drag Story Time with Gila Münster at the Toronto Botanical Garden on June 1 at 11 a.m. TRANScendTO at Toronto Metropolitan University Student Centre on June 6 at 12 p.m. Family Pride at Church St. Public School on June 28 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Youth Pride at Church St. Public School on June 28 at 6 p.m.
The Independent
7 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Most LGBTQ+ adults feel Americans don't accept transgender people, Pew poll finds
LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. see lower social acceptance for transgender people than those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, a new Pew Research Center poll found. Pew found that about 6 in 10 LGBTQ+ adults said there is 'a great deal' or 'a fair amount' of social acceptance in the U.S. for gay and lesbian people. Only about 1 in 10 said the same for nonbinary and transgender people — and about half said there was 'not much' or no acceptance at all for transgender people. Giovonni Santiago, a 39-year-old transgender man and Air Force veteran who lives in Northeast Ohio and was not a participant in the survey, said he feels that acceptance for transgender people has declined in the last few years – roughly in step with the rise of state laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, regulating which school and public bathrooms transgender people can use and which sports they can play. He said he's seen acceptance get worse nationally, following the lead of some places that were early adopters of restrictions. "They were like the anomaly for ignorance and in hatred, especially towards trans people,' Santiago said. 'But now we see that it's just kind of sweeping the nation, unfortunately.' Still, Santiago said he doesn't fear for his own personal safety — a contrast with most transgender people, who said they have feared for their safety at some point. 'I guess I don't feel it as much because I live a life that most people don't know that I'm trans unless I specifically tell them,' said Santiago, who runs a nonprofit dedicated to supporting transgender youth. The survey of 3,959 LGBTQ+ adults was conducted in January, after President Donald Trump was elected but just before he returned to office and set into motion a series of policies that question the existence of transgender people. On his first day, Trump signed an executive order calling on the government to recognize people as male or female based on the 'biological truth' of their future cells at conception, rather than accept scientific evidence that gender is a spectrum. Since then, he's begun ousting transgender service members from the military, and tried to bar transgender women and girls from sports competitions for females and block federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under 19, among other orders. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted in May found that about half of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling transgender issues, with a range of views on specific actions. According to the Pew poll, about two-thirds of LGBTQ+ adults said the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationally 10 years ago boosted acceptance of same-sex couples 'a lot more' or 'somewhat more.' The Supreme Court is expected to rule in coming weeks on a major case regarding transgender people — deciding whether Tennessee can enforce a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Transgender people are less likely than gay or lesbian adults to say they're accepted by all their family members. The majority of LGBTQ+ said their siblings and friends accepted them, though the rates were slightly higher among gay or lesbian people. About half of gay and lesbian people said their parents did, compared with about one-third of transgender people. Only about 1 in 10 transgender people reported feeling accepted by their extended family, compared with about 3 in 10 gay or lesbian people. Transgender people are more likely than gay, lesbian or bisexual people to say they feel 'extremely' or "very" connected to a broader LGBTQ+ community and to say that all or most of their friends are also LGBTQ+. Some elements of the experience are similar. About one-third of transgender and lesbian or gay adults said they first felt they might be LGBTQ+ by the time they were 10 and most did by age 13. About half waited until they were at least 18 to first tell someone. Aubrey Campos, 41, runs a taco truck near a hub of LGBTQ+ bars in Fort Worth, Texas, and also serves as a community organizer. She says her parents were supportive when she came out as transgender at about age 12. But the younger trans people she works with often have very different experiences — including some who were kicked out of their homes. 'Now the times are a little bit dark," she said. "This is a time that we to come together and make it brighter and make it known that we aren't going to just disappear.'
Associated Press
7 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Most LGBTQ+ adults feel Americans don't accept transgender people, Pew poll finds
LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. see lower social acceptance for transgender people than those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, a new Pew Research Center poll found. Pew found that about 6 in 10 LGBTQ+ adults said there is 'a great deal' or 'a fair amount' of social acceptance in the U.S. for gay and lesbian people. Only about 1 in 10 said the same for nonbinary and transgender people — and about half said there was 'not much' or no acceptance at all for transgender people. Giovonni Santiago, a 39-year-old transgender man and Air Force veteran who lives in Northeast Ohio and was not a participant in the survey, said he feels that acceptance for transgender people has declined in the last few years – roughly in step with the rise of state laws banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors, regulating which school and public bathrooms transgender people can use and which sports they can play. He said he's seen acceptance get worse nationally, following the lead of some places that were early adopters of restrictions. 'They were like the anomaly for ignorance and in hatred, especially towards trans people,' Santiago said. 'But now we see that it's just kind of sweeping the nation, unfortunately.' Still, Santiago said he doesn't fear for his own personal safety — a contrast with most transgender people, who said they have feared for their safety at some point. 'I guess I don't feel it as much because I live a life that most people don't know that I'm trans unless I specifically tell them,' said Santiago, who runs a nonprofit dedicated to supporting transgender youth. The survey of 3,959 LGBTQ+ adults was conducted in January, after President Donald Trump was elected but just before he returned to office and set into motion a series of policies that question the existence of transgender people. On his first day, Trump signed an executive order calling on the government to recognize people as male or female based on the 'biological truth' of their future cells at conception, rather than accept scientific evidence that gender is a spectrum. Since then, he's begun ousting transgender service members from the military, and tried to bar transgender women and girls from sports competitions for females and block federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under 19, among other orders. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted in May found that about half of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling transgender issues, with a range of views on specific actions. According to the Pew poll, about two-thirds of LGBTQ+ adults said the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationally 10 years ago boosted acceptance of same-sex couples 'a lot more' or 'somewhat more.' The Supreme Court is expected to rule in coming weeks on a major case regarding transgender people — deciding whether Tennessee can enforce a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Transgender people are less likely than gay or lesbian adults to say they're accepted by all their family members. The majority of LGBTQ+ said their siblings and friends accepted them, though the rates were slightly higher among gay or lesbian people. About half of gay and lesbian people said their parents did, compared with about one-third of transgender people. Only about 1 in 10 transgender people reported feeling accepted by their extended family, compared with about 3 in 10 gay or lesbian people. Transgender people are more likely than gay, lesbian or bisexual people to say they feel 'extremely' or 'very' connected to a broader LGBTQ+ community and to say that all or most of their friends are also LGBTQ+. Some elements of the experience are similar. About one-third of transgender and lesbian or gay adults said they first felt they might be LGBTQ+ by the time they were 10 and most did by age 13. About half waited until they were at least 18 to first tell someone. Aubrey Campos, 41, runs a taco truck near a hub of LGBTQ+ bars in Fort Worth, Texas, and also serves as a community organizer. She says her parents were supportive when she came out as transgender at about age 12. But the younger trans people she works with often have very different experiences — including some who were kicked out of their homes. 'Now the times are a little bit dark,' she said. 'This is a time that we to come together and make it brighter and make it known that we aren't going to just disappear.'
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Gender-diverse Kiwi player removed from Victorian netball league
Gender-diverse Kiwi netballer Manawa Aranui has hit out at a competing club in Victoria after being removed from a league after complaints and 'safety concerns'. Photo: RNZ / Instagram A gender-diverse Kiwi netballer has labelled an opposition club in Australia "hypocrites" after being removed from a second senior women's netball league. Originally from Hamilton but now living in Melbourne, Manawa Aranui's removal came after club complaints and "safety concerns". Aranui hit out on social media after they and another gender-diverse player were deemed ineligible to play in the Riddells District Football Netball League (RDFNL) for the rest of the season due to their "superior stamina and physique". In a statement, the league said opposition clubs had threatened to boycott matches involving Aranui. According to Aranui's social media post, complaints made against them to the league came from the same club that had tried to recruit them. "The same club now publicly speaking out against me, bashing me, and attacking the trans/non-binary community in the media, is the very club whose head coach approached me to join you," they wrote. "Would this still be a conversation if I'd accepted the offer and played for you? Or is it only a problem now because we're on opposing teams?" Aranui denied claims they were "dangerous" and had "run full-speed into players and (knocked) them over", stating they had never been "warned, penalised, or reprimanded". The opposing club has been approached for comment. Teams in the RDFNL threatened to boycott matches in which the players competed because they felt "physically and mentally threatened on court". An RDFNL spokesperson said the league would continue to adopt Netball Victoria's gender and anti-discrimination policies, but said it had no choice but to look at what neighbouring leagues were doing. "We are also working very closely with some other leagues on a sub-section under the Netball Victoria Policy that gives our league the opportunity to be flexible," the spokesperson said. Netball Victoria's governing body's guidance to clubs confirms that players can be excluded from competitions when their "strength, stamina or physique of players is relevant". Photo: SANKA VIDANAGAMA The spokesperson said Netball Victoria had this month appointed an "external investigator" to look at the participation of the players. "The RDFNL are yet to receive further information on the external investigator and have had no communication from said person," the spokesperson said. Netball Victoria's gender diversity policy states that players are allowed to play "in accordance with their gender identity, irrespective of their legal sex classification". However, the governing body's guidance to clubs also confirms that players can be excluded from competitions when their "strength, stamina or physique of players is relevant". It was the second time Aranui had been deemed ineligible to play in a competition this year. The ABC said it understood Aranui was also excluded from the Ballarat Football Netball League (BFNL) in April to "protect the safety of all players". A statement from the league said it had deemed the player ineligible, and that they had previously played "with an all-male netball team and now identifies as gender diverse". The league said it sought legal advice that it could lawfully exclude the player from a sporting competition where "strength, stamina or physique of competitors is relevant". "We have tremendous empathy for the player involved and absolutely respect and support their personal choices and respect their right to privacy," the BFNL spokesperson said. "As a league we have significant responsibilities to protect the safety of all our 3600 players who participate in the competition, and we take these responsibilities extremely seriously." In 2024, World Netball banned transgender players from international competition with immediate effect under a new participation and inclusion policy. In a statement, Netball Victoria said it continued to support netballers of all backgrounds, including gender-diverse players. "Netball Victoria is not undertaking a broad review of safety related to transgender players but is undertaking a review of concerns raised at one affiliate competition," a spokesperson said. "When concerns about safety in any form are raised, Netball Victoria will and does undertake a review in the interests of the welfare of participants." Sporting administrator Peta Guy said each case needed to be judged on its specifics, especially in contact-heavy sports. "You have to be practical in these things, because you have to look at it from the specifics of the game," Guy said. "If you've got something where people have high impact, you know AFL, rugby or something like that, then you know size and strength really does matter. "The overriding principle is that no association wants to drive potential players away and at the same time, they've got to be completely aware of how decisions that they make impact their members, the players." Guy said when rules were set, there would be exceptions. "I think you've got to look at the fundamental principles, the health and wellbeing of the players and fairness," she said. "You address it quietly in the background, without making a big deal about it, without making a rule." Guy said there had been rules implemented on gender policy in England. "It's now having adverse consequences, particularly in an era where you have non-binary people," she said. "If you have a rule that then excludes them, then you're not doing your sport the best favour."
ABC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Gender-diverse players removed from Victorian netball leagues
A gender-diverse netballer has labelled an opposition club "hypocrites" after they were removed from a second senior women's netball league. Manawa Aranui's removal came after club complaints and "safety concerns". They hit out on social media after they and another gender-diverse player were deemed ineligible to play in the Riddells District Football Netball League (RDFNL) for the rest of the season due to their "superior stamina and physique". In a statement, the league said opposition clubs had threatened to boycott matches involving Aranui. According to Aranui's social media post, complaints made against them to the league came from the same club that had tried to recruit them. "The same club now publicly speaking out against me, bashing me, and attacking the trans/non-binary community in the media, is the very club whose head coach approached me to join you," they wrote. Aranui denied claims they were "dangerous" and had "run full-speed into players and (knocked) them over", stating they had never been "warned, penalised, or reprimanded". The opposing club has been approached for comment. Teams in the RDFNL threatened to boycott matches in which the players competed because they felt "physically and mentally threatened on court". An RDFNL spokesperson said the league would continue to adopt Netball Victoria's gender and anti-discrimination policies, but said it had no choice but to look at what neighbouring leagues were doing. "We are also working very closely with some other leagues on a sub-section under the Netball Victoria Policy that gives our league the opportunity to be flexible," the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said Netball Victoria had this month appointed an "external investigator" to look at the participation of the players. "The RDFNL are yet to receive further information on the external investigator and have had no communication from said person," the spokesperson said. Netball Victoria's gender diversity policy states that players are allowed to play "in accordance with their gender identity, irrespective of their legal sex classification". However, the governing body's guidance to clubs also confirms that players can be excluded from competitions when their "strength, stamina or physique of players is relevant". It was the second time Aranui had been deemed ineligible to play in a competition this year. The ABC understands Aranui was also excluded from the Ballarat Football Netball League (BFNL) in April to "protect the safety of all players". A statement from the league said it had deemed the player ineligible, and that they had previously played "with an all-male netball team and now identifies as gender diverse". The league said it sought legal advice that it could lawfully exclude the player from a sporting competition where "strength, stamina or physique of competitors is relevant". "We have tremendous empathy for the player involved and absolutely respect and support their personal choices and respect their right to privacy," the BFNL spokesperson said. In 2024, World Netball banned transgender players from international competition with immediate effect under a new participation and inclusion policy. In a statement, Netball Victoria said it continued to support netballers of all backgrounds, including gender-diverse players. "When concerns about safety in any form are raised, Netball Victoria will and does undertake a review in the interests of the welfare of participants." Sporting administrator Peta Guy said each case needed to be judged on its specifics, especially in contact-heavy sports. "If you've got something where people have high impact, you know AFL, rugby or something like that, then you know size and strength really does matter. "The overriding principle is that no association wants to drive potential players away and at the same time, they've got to be completely aware of how decisions that they make impact their members, the players." Ms Guy said when rules were set, there would be exceptions. "I think you've got to look at the fundamental principles, the health and wellbeing of the players and fairness," she said. Ms Guy said there had been rules implemented on gender policy in England. "It's now having adverse consequences, particularly in an era where you have non-binary people," she said. "If you have a rule that then excludes them … then you're not doing your sport the best favour."
