LGBTQ2S+ & Conservatives

During the PEI election, Premier Dennis King's made anti-trans comments. Not coincidentally, there were more anti-trans threats made following his comments. He is part of the the problem. CBC has reported a surge in safety concerns for the transgender community in PEI. "The mental health toll that all of this is taking on our community is pretty profound'. The US anti-trans movement is adding fuel to the already existing fire of anti-trans bias in Canada, according to trans spokespeople in PEI.

The P.E.I. Transgender Network is holding a rally for trans rights on April 2nd.  The group says the rally is being planned in reaction to "ongoing and increased public displays of transphobia/anti-trans movements occurring across P.E.I." 

Lucky Fusca is the executive director of the group. They say that at the same time they are planning the rally, they have moved a health-care panel discussion from in-person to online because of safety concerns. "With the anti-trans rhetoric and movements happening globally and specifically on Prince Edward Island, there was a question from one of our panelists around safety," Fusca said. "And this is a shared sentiment with several other people involved. So we decided to move the event to a closed online meeting earlier in the week, and in its place we decided to launch 'Let's Get Loud,' which is going to be, for lack of a better word right now, a rally."

Fusca said the group's intention — as a community which includes allies and stakeholders — is to organize in a more formal way, as the number of anti-trans incidents and comments on the Island grows.  Fusca points to the postponement of a drag storytime event planned for the Kings Playhouse in Georgetown, P.E.I., after it was the target of online attacks. The event has now been rescheduled for April 15th. As well, harmful comments were shared on social media after someone raised concerns about a drag performance at a Canada Games bingo event.

'Allyship is a verb'

A city spokesperson told CBC on Wednesday that no police report was filed in the matter, and there was no incident at the event in question. Still, the P.E.I. Transgender Network put out a call to action, asking that the original person who posted the comments be held accountable. "This is really just the start," said Fusca. "Allyship is a verb, and we're hoping to be able to give some folks some direction by providing a 'how to be an ally to the trans community 101' and some follow up with some actionable, tangible things that people can put into place in their lives to advocate for the trans community." ...

Hearing about and seeing anti-trans actions is terrifying, Fusca said. "I think the mental health toll that all of this is taking on our community is pretty profound, including myself," they said. Fusca said there is nowhere they can feel safe at the moment.  "Whether it's out in the physical world or through an online presence, I feel a decreased sense of safety ... I don't really feel safe anywhere on P.E.I. that isn't an exclusively a trans or queer space," they said. Fusca said the hope for the health-care panel was to bring health professionals together with transgender individuals....

"Unfortunately it's fairly common right now that a lot of the anti-trans bills that are being introduced in the States are attacking the health-care system and health-care providers. It's a pretty scary space to be a trans individual, but also a scary space to be a health-care provider in different states, as the laws are criminalizing the care itself and the providers if they're providing care," they said.  "So to protect both our community and health-care practitioners, we decided to pivot this event." 

As for the rally, Fusca said there were fewer safety concerns because it will be a ticketed event, and people will have to abide by safer-space policies.  "We have some posters that we'll be putting up in the event space, and we'll be verbally reading the safer-space statement to all of the attendees at this event. So if anybody is found to be violating the safer-space [protocol], they will be removed from the event."

Fusca said there are a few theories about why more anti-trans comments and actions have appeared in the past few years. "A big one is the fact that folks feel very emboldened because they're not seeing consequences to actions as they relate to pretty much hate crimes or hateful discriminatory behaviours... "There was a lot, a lot, a lot of hate that was being spread and platformed through the freedom convoy movement. And there was little to no consequences for these individuals' actions and for that movement as a whole," they said. "Which is partly why I think that we're seeing that increase in public displays of transphobia and homophobia and racism throughout P.E.I. It's always been here. It's just a matter of: 'Why is it happening now?'"

When it comes to being an ally, Fusca said the first thing to think about is listening, and then acting if a call to action is put out. "They're going to listen to the community, the community organizations that are asking this of of them as allies and actually put it into action. So showing up in these spaces. Advocate for our community," they said. 

Another thing for people to remember is how to react when someone from the trans community shares their experience.  "If a trans person or an organization is sharing an experience or sharing something that's unfolding, it's a great practice for allies to — even if inside they're surprised by what they're hearing — to not express that to the individual because it can undermine or belittle their experience," Fusca said. "Make space to really just listen to the individual rather than sharing any notions around it being surprising or out of character."

That can also relate to comparisons.  "If we're comparing what's happening in the United States to here, we often get this rhetoric, 'Oh, you know, at least we're not in the States'. And the reality is that we pretty much are. It just looks different here," they said. 

And then, Fusca said, ask what someone needs. That's something to think about when you're talking to anybody.  Some suggested questions: "Would you like me to be a sounding board? Is there anything specific that I could do that could help you in this moment?" 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/cbc-pei-anti-trans-s...

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has an extremely concerning anti-LGBTQ history. 

Alberta’s new premier Danielle Smith has an alarming history of refusing to condemn anti-LGBTQ2S+ rhetoric. 

Danielle Smith, who was elected to lead Alberta’s United Conservative Party on October 6, was embroiled in controversy in 2012 after the anti-LGBTQ2S+ blog of a fellow candidate for the Wildrose Party re-emerged during the provincial election. As the right-wing political party’s then leader, Smith was running to become the next Alberta premier, and polling indicated she was the frontrunner in the race—that is, until the comments resurfaced.

 “You can live the way you were born,” wrote Allan Hunsperger, a preacher and Wildrose candidate in Edmonton, “and if you die the way you were born, then you will suffer the rest of eternity in the lake of fire, hell, a place of eternal suffering.”

Smith refused to apologize for the remarks and did not remove his nomination as a candidate. “I think it’s important for us to have the conversation, about religious freedom and freedom of speech, and equality rights, because I think this is really what this comes down to,” she told CBC News at the time.

During the campaign, Smith stated that she personally was “pro-choice and pro-gay marriage,” according to the Canadian Press.

Despite Smith’s stated support for the community, the Wildrose Party ran on an explicitly anti-LGBTQ2S+ platform in 2012. Its platform included proposed legislation for so-called “conscience rights” that would allow health professionals and marriage commissioners to discriminate against people in line with their personal beliefs. Doctors would have been permitted to refuse abortion care, while marriage commisioners would have the right to turn away queer couples who wish to marry. ...

The Wildrose Party, which ultimately merged with the Progressive Conservative Party in 2017 to become the UCP, continued its uneasy relationship with LGBTQ2S+ equality following the election. In 2013, the party voted in favour of adopting a policy affirming equal rights for all—regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation—but elected to roll back its promise in 2014. 

Smith, who had led the Wildrose Party since 2009, told CBC Newsshe was not in the room when the vote was taken. Ultimately, Smith stepped down from the Wildrose Party in 2014 and joined the Progressive Conservative caucus prior to the party’s merger with UCP. In 2015, she lost her seat in the provincial legislature.

After leaving politics, Smith began running a restaurant in southern Alberta and hosted The Danielle Smith Podcast. In an op-ed for Rabble, writer David Climenhaga described her show as a platform for “quack COVID cures” and “dangerous pandemic conspiracy theories.”

In her return to the spotlight, Smith ran in a bid to replace resigning Premier Jason Kenney after a May leadership review found Kenney earning just 51.4 percent of party members’ approval. Smith ran on an “Alberta First” platform, pitching a proposal that would allow Alberta to bypass federal regulation. If adopted, the “Sovereignty Act” would permit the building of pipelines without federal approval, and allow the province to ignore national law. 

Despite being unconstitutional, the plan could also result in an attempt by Alberta to disregard federally regulated LGBTQ2S+ rights, such the federal ban on conversion therapy passed last year. Advocates expressed concern to Xtra about the impact of Thursday’s elections on Alberta’s LGBTQ2S+ population. 

“Many LGBTQ2S+ Albertans and their families will be watching Danielle Smith and the UCP closely to ensure human rights are respected and LGBTQ2S+ rights will not come under attack” ... said Kristopher Wells, a Canada Research Chair in sexual and gender minority youth at MacEwan University. “Our LGBTQ2S+ communities are mindful of how other populist governments around the world have sought to demonize and use LGBTQ2S+ people as political scapegoats to advance far-right agendas.  “This is a precarious time for many Albertans who are feeling threatened and vulnerable,” Wells added.

Aside from her record as a legislator, Smith has also donated around $60,000 to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, a group that has links to the “Freedom Convoy” that terrorized Ottawa earlier this year. The convoy was largely organized by right-wing, anti-LGBTQ2S+ activists.

https://xtramagazine.com/power/danielle-smith-new-alberta-premier-237362

Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick's Youth, Child and Seniors Advocate, is calling out New Brunswick's Progressive government over the changes it has made to Policy 713 on creating a a safe school environment for these students, saying that they discriminate against LGBTQ2S+ students. As a lawyer, he feels certain they would not survive a charter rights challenge. 

Changes announced last week to New Brunswick's policy on sexual orientation in schools are "incredibly vague and shoddy" and could open the door to discrimination, the province's youth and child advocate warned Monday. Kelly Lamrock said the vagueness of the changes could create confusion for school administrators and introduce uncertainty for children at a time when they need understanding. "The drafting here (of the policy), regardless of the issue, is so shoddy and inadvertently discriminatory that it really doesn't seem to meet anybody's purposes," he told reporters.

The Progressive Conservative government made three changes to Policy 713, which come into effect next month. Students under 16 will now need parental consent to change their name or pronouns at school; universal washrooms will have to be private; and the policy on sports no longer states students' participation will be "consistent with their gender identity."

 Premier Blaine Higgs said last week the changes to the three-year-old policy were to ensure that "secrets aren't being kept from parents." "My position is very clear in relation to the role that families and parents need to play in their children's growth," he said.

Lamrock called the review, which began in April, "incoherent." Last month he revealed the review was spurred by three complaints, even though the government said they received "hundreds" of concerns from a variety of groups, including parents and teachers.

Both the old and new policies required that students under 16 get parental consent to officially change their name and pronouns. The old policy said they could choose to be called what they liked at school unofficially. The new policy is unclear on unofficial preferences of names and pronouns for students under 16.

"If Terrance wants to be called by a nickname, it would be absurd to ask teachers to agree to use Terry but not Terri because of perceptions about the motivation," Lamrock said. "If there is a situation where somebody is choosing a name, and you suspect it might be for gender identity purposes, you have a whole different process and new barriers. That's textbook legal discrimination." Calling people the name they wish to be called is a simple courtesy, he added.

He questioned how teachers would deal with other personal issues that students might not want to share with a parent."What about straight students who might be dating or sexually active? What about if a student, whose parents are devout Muslim, decides she doesn't want to wear the hijab at school even though her parents wish she would? What if a child with an ethnic background decides they like a nickname that sounds more North American even though their parents wish they wouldn't for cultural reasons? What are the rules on all that?"

With regard to universal washrooms, he said schools cannot control what facilities will be available when students are on field trips. And he questioned why the government felt the need to remove wording from the section on sports that referred to participation consistent with their gender identity.

Lamrock said his office is assembling a team of lawyers to draft a memo for schools offering guidance on grey areas in the revised policy. "We're going to provide that so teachers and principals have something to rely on when making their decisions," he said.

https://www.iheartradio.ca/ctv-news-content/new-brunswick-child-advocate...

There are now three cabinet ministers who have resigned from New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs cabinet (there were two at the time of the writing of the article below) over Higgs forcing through is changes to weaken Policy 713 protections to LGBTQ2S+ students in elementary and high school, as well as his extreme top-down management style. Higgs says he may call an election over this. 

New Brunswick Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard, who was among several Progressive Conservative government members who disagreed with changes to the province’s LGBTQ policy in schools, resigned Thursday from cabinet.

Her two-sentence handwritten resignation letter said she could no longer remain in the cabinet of Premier Blaine Higgs. “I resign from cabinet, effective immediately,” she wrote.

Shephard told reporters that her resignation wasn’t only due to Policy 713, which establishes minimum standards for schools to ensure a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for LGBTQ students. “I resigned because there is no process,” she said, wearing a rainbow flag on her left lapel. Cabinet and caucus are routinely dismissed. I have been struggling with this since October of 2021. I have had colleagues and friends encourage me to stay in the inner circle to do the best I can do. I feel I’ve done that. But I’ve run out of runway. There’s no accomplishing anything more in this cabinet. So I’m ready to leave.”

Higgs said he stood by the changes made to the policy and called Shephard’s resignation unfortunate. “I think it’s unfortunate that if someone says, ‘Well, I didn’t get the vote I wanted or the majority of caucus didn’t agree with me,’ that you walk away,” he said.

The legislature voted Thursday afternoon for the province’s child and youth advocate to consult with stakeholders about the changes made to Policy 713. The changes include requiring students under 16 to receive parental consent before they can change their names or pronouns at school. The new policy also removes language stating that students’ participation in sports will “be consistent with their gender identity.”
Eight members of the Tory caucus, including Shephard, sat out question period on June 8 in protest of the policy. Shephard said Thursday that she felt she was going to be removed from cabinet for speaking her mind. “I’ve always tried to be very honest, very frank,” she said. “It’s my job to be frank with the premier, to give my opinions, to give my counsel, my guidance, my input. That’s what I do. And that’s what I’ve done. I’m fine. I’m OK.”

Shephard is the second minister to resign from Higgs’s cabinet. Dominic Cardy, who served as education minister, resigned in October citing the premier’s “wrecking-ball” leadership style.

Higgs said it could be argued that Shephard and Cardy quit because they didn’t get their way. “Maybe both were strong cabinet ministers. Both, maybe in (that) sense, were very convicted in their views.” Higgs reiterated that he is willing to call an election over changes made to Policy 713. “I guess if this situation drives an election to come forward, I will certainly be running in it,” he said. “We are addressing a lot of issues in the province. And they aren’t easy. This is probably one of the most sensitive ones. And it takes resolve, but it takes having balanced discussions and a balanced approach. And this is an approach of how do we engage parents. That’s what this is about.”

https://globalnews.ca/news/9771912/n-b-cabinet-minister-dorothy-shephard...

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs continues to defend " revised Policy 713 Friday, saying he is standing up for parents and if doing so requires a leadership review then so be it", but is vague over whether he will call an election over it. "If this issue has brought this to a head, I'm equally confident that I'm speaking for many parents who want a voice," he said. "If that is necessitating a leadership review I guess it'll be what it'll be."  The results of such an election and/or leadership review could determine to what extent other Conservatives push an anti-LGBTQ@S+ agenda. 

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said Friday he is open to a party vote on his leadership, but remained vague on whether he'll call an early provincial election.

Higgs is facing a rising wave of dissent from his caucus over his leadership style and his government's changes to the province's policy on sexual orientation in schools. On Thursday, Dorothy Shephard quit as social development minister, and last week, eight Progressive Conservative dissidents -- including Shephard and five other ministers -- sat out question period in protest.

Asked what the odds were of the province heading into an early election, Higgs told reporters, "I don't play the odds, actually. I don't. So, I'm not going to delve into an election philosophy." His majority government's mandate ends in October 2024.

The controversy erupted June 8 after Education Minister Bill Hogan introduced changes to Policy 713, which sets out standards for schools to ensure welcoming and inclusive environments for LGBTQ students. Among the changes is a new requirement for teachers to obtain parental consent before they use the preferred pronouns and names of transgender and nonbinary students under the age of 16.

LGBTQ advocates have said the policy violates the rights of children, but Higgs has said the changes ensure parents are kept informed about issues affecting their kids.

On Thursday, Shephard resigned from Higgs' cabinet and voted with the Opposition on a motion calling on the province's youth and child advocate to review the changes to the LGBTQ policy. Five other members of Higgs' party voted with Shephard: ministers Jeff Carr, Daniel Allain and Trevor Holder, and backbenchers Ross Wetmore and Andrea Anderson-Mason. The Tory rebels caused the motion to pass 26-20.

Higgs defended the revised Policy 713 Friday, saying he is standing up for parents and if doing so requires a leadership review then so be it.

"If this issue has brought this to a head, I'm equally confident that I'm speaking for many parents who want a voice," he said. "If that is necessitating a leadership review I guess it'll be what it'll be."

But Shephard said it wasn't just changes made to Policy 713 that made her quit.

"I resigned because there is no process. Cabinet and caucus are routinely dismissed," she told reporters Thursday. "I have been struggling with this since October of 2021."

J.P. Lewis, political science professor at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John, said Higgs' leadership style is under the microscope now that Shephard has left cabinet.

But she is the second minister to quit his cabinet in protest since October, when Dominic Cardy resigned as education minister and wrote a letter calling out the premier's "wrecking-ball" leadership style.

While Shephard did not send such a letter, Lewis said her comments with reporters "fitted with Cardy's viewpoint." Her public resignation, he said, which she made on the floor of the legislature, was "quite remarkable."

"It was easy to kind of see Cardy's resignation as possibly a one-off he had mentioned that others would agree with him, but it was a matter of waiting to see if there's other folks in cabinet who think that the way that Higgs leads is problematic," he said.

"The Policy 713 issue really brought everything to a head. It was a bit surprising, to be honest."

Lewis said it's unclear whether more members of Higgs' government will resign.

 "I think right now, we're in a position where are there other shoes that drop, other dominoes to fall? Because there is the possibility that this is it. This was the small revolt Higgs experienced. Even though it's rare, it happens."

Higgs might be led to call an election if more members of his party resign, or if he wants to solidify his position as head of the province's Progressive Conservatives.

"We're definitely closer to an early election than we would have been a couple of weeks ago, that's for sure," Lewis said.

https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/new-brunswick-premier-open-to-leadership-tes...

Here are the fears the changes in New Brunswick's Policy 713 that reduce protections for LGBTQ2S+ school children in the words of a transgender student. 

Alex Harris, a transgender high school student in New Brunswick, said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live that he is most concerned about the change made to the self-identification clause in the policy.  Harris, who is now over the age of 16, came out before the policy change. At the time, his teachers were able to use his preferred name and pronouns at school and then use his old information when talking to his parents. "It actually made it easier for me to come out to my parents because I knew I had a safe space at school even if that didn't go well," he said. 

When Harris did come out to his parents he said it went well, but he said he knows people who may not have the same experience. He said he has "tons" of friends who came out at school before the changes to Policy 713 and now have to ask their parents for permission to have their teachers use their chosen name or pronouns. "That is terrifying to them because their parents would not be safe to come out to," said Harris.

Part of the change to the self-identification clause in the policy is that if students are fearful or object to informing their parents of their change in preferred name and pronouns, they can work with guidance counsellors or school social workers and psychologists to get to a place where they feel comfortable telling them. 

Harris said this development is "troubling. For most people who are concerned about this policy, it's not that they need to get to a place where they can talk to their parents, it's that their parents aren't at a place where they will be accepting of them being trans," he said. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/new-brunswick-blaine-higgs-policy-713-1...

Remember, Paladin that the Progressive Conservative New Brunswick government put Policy 713 in place to protect LGBTQ2S+ children two years ago because they saw the risks those children faced within their own families. That why 8 of their MLAs (more than 25% of the caucus), including six cabinet ministers, boycotted a session of the legislature when Higgs proposed changing the policy, whith 3 of his ministers resigning after the changes were implemented and the others gave in only because of a threat of an election being called. This is hardly the result of some supposedly extreme left movement. In fact, the opposite is happening.
Trans people are the new bogeymen. Its a manufactured crisis coming out of the US. A decade ago it was Muslim terrorists, then it was defunding the police, then it was Critical Race Theory (CRT) invading public schools when not a single elementary or high school taught CRT since it was only taught in university graduate school. But there is always a need for a new bogeyman as people tire of hearing about the old one. With regard to trans girls entering and dominating girl high school competition, the new Republican crisis du jour that will destroy cis-female sports, Democratic Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow pointe out how asinine this was by noting that last year 2 (yes that's right two) trans girls applied to compete in female high school competitions out of the ten million people living in Michigan. Meanwhile, the average daily death toll from guns in the US was 124 people per day (https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/firearms/fastfact.html). For politicians these faux crises are a diversion from dealing with the real problems. Higgs suddenly discovers this issue as his popularity plunges. "An increased majority of New Brunswickers express dissatisfaction with the performance of the provincial government led by PC Premier Blaine Higgs, according to the latest survey by Narrative Research. Two-thirds (65%, up from 56% in February 2023) are currently dissatisfied."(https://narrativeresearch.ca/nb-the-pcs-and-liberals-remain-neck-in-neck...) Another example, is using the anti-LGBTQ2S+ attacks to divert attention from the unfair tax burden in the US, where the average tax on billionaires is 8%, far less than on the middle class, while their profits soared (https://americansfortaxfairness.org/wp-content/uploads/2021-10-18-Billio....). How does this work. Declare the new "OTHER" group threat and use propaganda, which basically constant repetition followed by more repetition of the attack them message, no matter the group. If you have groups, such as extreme fundamentlist Christians or gun advocates who fervently support your point of view, use them in manufacturing the faux crisis to avoid dealing with the true crises such as gun deaths, unfair taxes, climate change etc. This usually spills over into Canada but usually in a milder form because the likely allies for such attacks are not as prevalent as in the US. 

In the US by April, the perceived faux anti-LGBTQ2S+ crisis was so great according to Republicans that " At least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States since the start of the year ... 11 states have passed at least one of these laws as of April 4th". (https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/06/politics/anti-lgbtq-plus-state-bill-right...)

Of course, this kind of manufactured "OTHER" attack is not victimless, as it leads to violence, murder of the target group and suicide of the "OTHER", especially in their teens years as they struggle with becoming an adult in an environment when they are seen as worthless at best or even evil. "Noble's death shook many in Hamilton's LGBTQ community, even those who didn't know them personally. It came at a moment when the community was feeling particularly vulnerable, Russell said. LGBTQ advocates have been critical of the city's willingness to co-operate with socially conservative Christian organizations while their own organizations have long struggled to secure consistent funding.  Hamilton's LGBTQ community says it is also dealing with an increase in public displays of hate against its members." (https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fundamentalist-christian-movement-1.679...)

They are aided by the extreme religious right which is now promoting a plan to greatly increase the number of anti-LGBTQ2S+ politicians in Canada. 

Liberty Coalition Canada, a conservative Christian advocacy group, is trying to raise $1.3 million to recruit hundreds of Christian politicians and campaign staff to run at all levels of government. In a document marked "please keep classified" that was obtained by CBC News, the group says its ultimate goal is "the most powerful political disruption in Canadian history." Working alongside Liberty Coalition Canada are dozens of churches across the country, a number of small media outlets and at least one well-funded think-tank. ...

The internal Liberty Coalition document obtained by CBC News suggests it is entertaining even grander ambitions for the future. "Over the next few years, I want to systematically manufacture 10,000 new Christian political candidates across Canada," says the document, which was written by Michael Clark, director of advocacy for the Liberty Coalition.

Scholars say reconstructionist ideals — often linked to Christian nationalism, the idea that the United States is a Christian country — are influencing how some Canadian evangelicals are responding to issues like legalized abortion, same-sex marriage and added protections for gender minorities.  ...

As governments began to remove pandemic restrictions, Liberty Coalition Canada shifted its focus to controversies that pit progressive and conservative values against each other on issues ranging from gender and sexuality to racism and the environment. In recent months, the organization has emphasized its opposition to LGBTQ rights. ...

Liberty Coalition Canada claims to have helped 110 Christian candidates in municipal and school board elections last year in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. It says 16 of those 110 candidates were elected in 2022, but this number is difficult to verify because the group did not respond to a request to see a full list of names....

Reconstructionists stand apart from mainstream evangelicals in Canada who have largely accepted the country's religious pluralism and are less interested in pushing biblical values in every corner of society....

Experts say reconstructionists, on the other hand, see increasing tolerance for minority rights and other progressive policies as an attack on Christianity that will lead to the decline of Western civilization....

Scholars usually trace the origins of reconstructionism to R.J. Rushdoony, a religious thinker who rose to prominence in the U.S. in the 1970s. ... His teachings had a profound influence on the Christian right. He is often credited with convincing other evangelical leaders in the U.S. of the need to oppose legalized abortion, launching the decades-long — and ultimately successful — effort to overturn Roe v. Wade. ...

As part of the Canadian Ezra Institute's activities, it is affiliated with a number of radical Christian thinkers in the U.S., such as Jeff Durbin, an Arizona pastor who believes women should be charged with homicide if they have an abortion, even if that means facing the death penalty.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/fundamentalist-christian-movement-1.679...

CBC's the Current today devoted one session of its program to the growing fears of the LGBTQ2S+ community to the attacks on it coming from the US and the extreme right Canadian Christian community. The podcast can be heard at the url below. 
 

Quote:

Longtime 2SLGBTQ activist Clare Nobbs has been celebrating Pride month in Toronto for more than three decades — but this year a rise in harmful rhetoric has left her anxious and angry. "I'm angry because our identities are apparently up for debate. There are questions around who we are, and why we should be celebrating," Nobbs told The Current's Matt Galloway. ...
Across Canada, recent months have seen protests against drag queens reading to children, stand-offs round access to gender-affirming care, and public rows about Pride flags. In New Brunswick, Premier Blaine Higgs has lamented a rise in gender diversity as "trendy," and proposed legislation that would bar teachers from using a student's preferred pronouns without parental consent.
In the U.S., hundreds of bills focused on transgender people have been brought forward so far this year, targeting gender-affirming care, participation in sports, bathroom use and education around gender and sexuality. 

Nobbs sees "a rising tide of hate," driven by far-right religious and political figures who've "given permission for all kinds of hateful things to be said and done against people who are different. Six months ago people said, 'Oh, it's mostly in the States, it's in the south.' It is creeping up fast," she said. "There have been people acting in silos, fomenting, gathering strength, and they don't want to see our human rights respected. They don't want to acknowledge that difference."
For Joshua LeClair, a two-spirit Anishinaabe person and Pride organizer near Thunder Bay, pushing back against that kind of rhetoric "comes down to saving lives."

"The consequences [are] someone's child dying, someone's brother or sister dying," he said. 

LeClair is 33 and grew up watching Canada and other countries debate marriage equality. He said that debate made him feel as if large parts of society didn't think he deserved the right to start a happy family of his own.

"At 15, in adolescence and you're hearing that — why stay?" he said. 

In grade 12, LeClair attempted suicide, but survived.  "I'm so glad I failed because there might be somebody questioning right now because the violence and vitriol is present in all of our cities," he said.  "It really makes me angry. I know I have a voice, and I will go speak up for those people who may be experiencing their voice being taken away."
Advocate Fae Johnstone said that Pride should be an opportunity for 2SLGBTQ communities to come together, celebrating progress and acknowledging the work left to do.  "[But] I'm scared this season and I think a lot of folks are too … I'm waiting everyday for a headline of somebody being assaulted," said Johnstone, a trans woman, president of advocacy group Queer Momentum and executive director of consulting firm Wisdom2Action. "It comes at a price for our mental health, both for those of us doing this work in advocacy, but for every gay or trans kid who's seeing those headlines too," she said.
Johnstone said she received death threats earlier this year after being featured in a Hershey's ad campaign for International Women's Day.

She thinks trans people are "being used as tropes to fuel a broader regression on gender and sexual rights writ large. It's part of this growing far-right movement that is jumping from issue to issue to issue to create these wedges," she said.  "Now they've got trans people in the limelight and they're hoping that … [by] rolling back inclusion for us, that opens the opportunity to do this for so many other communities."
For Nobbs, some of the language being used to attack trans communities today reminds her of language used to argue against gay and lesbian equality decades ago.  "It reminds me of before our human rights were recognized," she said, adding that words like "grooming" or "recruiting" try to paint 2SLGBTQ communities as "sexual predators." ...
Johnstone said that language is intended to encourage shame among 2SLGBTQ individuals, but also about mobilizing violence. "It creates a context where your everyday homophobe or transphobe is more likely to throw slurs at queer or trans people when we're walking to the grocery store," she said. "It creates a context where they're emboldened to engage in acts of violence."...
Johnstone said there's a lot to be proud of in Canada, and the current climate should not take away from efforts by older generations to secure rights for 2SLGBTQ communities.  "But that progress is precarious. It is not a guarantee and we cannot rest on our laurels as a country," she told Galloway. 
She worries that governments, as well as straight and cisgender people more broadly, "aren't taking this hate seriously. [I worry that] that they think it's going to go away, or that it's just us complaining about people expressing their opinions," she said.  "But it is a well-oiled hate machine that will cost lives for trans and queer people."

Higgs is in trouble within the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative because of his anti-LGBTQ changes that triggered 26 of 49 PC riding presidents to write signed letters asking for a leadership review. But it goes deeper than than. He was originally a Liberal who quit the party to become a member of the very right wing provincial Confederation of Regions (COR)Party over bilingualism and ran for its leadership before joining the PCs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaine_Higgs). So he is an outsider inside the PC party who doesn't have the lifetime party allies that is often typical of party leaders and is further to the right than many Maritime PCs. More important Higgs hired Derek Robinson the same month Higgs began his review of Policy 713 on school protections for LGBTQ students.  Robinson was "a key player in western Canadian conservative groups, and is advising the premier through his communications firm MASH Strategy" (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/blaine-higgs-attack-susan-h...). Robinson led the strategy to defeat long-time and sole Liberal Saskatchewan MP by repeatedly linking him to Trudeau in advertising. He brought that strategy to New Brunswick, attacking the Liberal leader, Susan Holt by linking her to Trudeau on the LGBTQ2S+ issue. " On Saturday night, Higgs linked Trudeau's stand on LGBTQ issues to Holt — even though Holt herself is keeping her distance from the prime minister. "Susan Holt & Justin Trudeau don't believe parents need be involved in such critical discussions as gender identity, even in children as young as 4," Higgs said in two tweets posted Saturday night at 6:53 p.m. and again at 9:18 p.m." 

(https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/blaine-higgs-attack-susan-h...)

The problem is what works on in Saskatchewan and Alberta doesn't necessarily work elsewhere, especially when it was the PCs who were the ones who brought in the original Policy 713. Furthermore, it had worked well for two years with only three complaints from parents that Higgs brought forward to argue it needed to change, so it looked like the manufacturing of an issue that had some resonance on the prairies and a lot of resonance for Republicans in the US, but seemed was so far a non-issue in New Brunswick. 

On CBC Newsworld Saschi Kurl of the Angus Reid Institute, a polling firm, warned that American style culture wars played for political gains have largely failed in Canada, but if they do get a large following here, it will be very difficult to ever get them out of our politics. 

Furthermore, culture war policies that look like sure fire winners in one region may be disastrous in another region for a political party. I wonder if Poilievre, unlike Higgs, have figured that out yet.  

Paladin, even many of the Progressive Conservatives in New Brunswick want Higgs to resign after his changes to Policy 713 reducted safety for LGBTQ2S+ elementary and secondary students. His changes to Policy 713 have become the "tipping point" in demands for his resignation. In addition to cabinet minister resignations  and 26 of 49 New Brunswick provincial riding presidents who have written signed letters asking for a leadership review over this, and another four former New Brunswick Conservative riding association presidents are demanding a leadership review. 

Troubles for New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs worsened Friday as Labour Minister Trevor Holder resigned from cabinet, and four past Progressive Conservative party presidents joined the chorus calling on the premier to step down. In other words, if he won't resign they want a leadership review to get rid of him.

In the letter Friday, Holder said Higgs lacks empathy and cannot work collaboratively with caucus members. "Under the leadership of Premier Higgs, caucus has been less about consensus and more about him getting his own way," Holder said in the letter. Holder, whose portfolios also included post-secondary education and training, is the second minister to resign this month citing Higgs’s leadership style. Dorothy Shephard resigned June 15 as social development minister.

Shephard has accused the premier of not trusting his cabinet and criticized him for the decision to change the sexual orientation policy in schools, known as Policy 713. The main change to the policy is that it will no longer be mandatory for teachers to use the preferred pronouns or names of transgender or nonbinary students under the age of 16, starting July 1.

On Thursday, Higgs repeated in a statement that the vast majority of caucus had supported the changes and added "it is extremely unfortunate that all of this gets lost with the strategically planned political drama that is now unfolding."…

Also Friday, a two-page letter from ex-party presidents Claude Williams, Jason Stephen, Lester Young and Brian Harquail, obtained by The Canadian Press, says that despite the premier's achievements there have been significant missteps that stem from Higgs's top-down, authoritarian style of leadership. They say Higgs ignores input from his cabinet, caucus, the party and civil servants.

"The members of the party have never had a say in the direction of the party under his leadership. That is not how democracy works," the four past presidents say in the letter.

"Instead, the premier depends on an echo chamber of confidantes who do not seem to understand the nuances of New Brunswick society and the delicate balance required to govern this province effectively."

Changes made to the province's policy on sexual orientation in schools, they said, was just the tipping point in a long line of disrespect Higgs has shown to the party.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/brunswick-premier-loses-second-cabinet-1613354...

Blaine Higgs had to reshuffle his New Brunswick cabinet today, dropping two more ministers in addition to two others who had already resigned over his changes to Policy 713 that protected LGBTQ2S+ students in school. This follows 26 of 49 Conservative riding presidents, as well as four former Conservative riding presidents, wrote signed letters demanding a leadership review over this issue and Higgs my-way-or-the-highway style. Nevertheless, Pierre jumped right into the middle of this by telling Trudeau to stay out of provincial politics, despite his numerous examples of jumping into provincial and local politics, such as saying he would end gatekeepers in other levels of government blocking housing and pipeline construction. Once again Pierre is bringing Alberta/Saskatchewan popular approaches eastward to regions that don't think the same way. He just found out in the byelections last week, that his ultra-right wing approach isn't always accepted favourably everywhere. 

Quote: 

'Let parents raise kids,' he said while speaking on controversial changes to policy on LGBTQ students

 

Pierre Poilievre said the prime minister has no business weighing in on New Brunswick's Policy 713 on LGBTQ students, even as the federal Conservative leader called on Justin Trudeau to let parents raise kids.

The policy was designed to protect LGBTQ students in schools. But earlier this year, New Brunswick's Progressive Conservative government made changes that, in part, will no longer require teachers to use the chosen names and pronouns of transgender or non-binary students under 16 without parental consent (new window).

At a Tuesday event in Moncton critiquing carbon taxation and the cost of living, Poilievre was asked whether he stands with New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs on the changes to Policy 713. He called it provincial policy.

I know that Justin Trudeau has butted into that. The prime minister has no business in decisions that should rest with provinces and parents, he said.

So my message to Justin Trudeau is, 'Butt out and let provinces run schools and let parents raise kids.' ...
The changes on Policy 713 prompted backlash from within Higgs's own cabinet, including numerous resignations by ministers who objected to his leadership style. On Tuesday morning, Higgs shuffled his cabinet to replace two ministers who voted against him on a resolution calling for more consultations on the school gender-identity policy (new window).

Trudeau weighed in on the policy at a Pride event in Toronto about three weeks ago (new window), saying right now, trans kids in New Brunswick are being told they don't have the right to be their true selves, that they need to ask permission.

Trans kids need to feel safe, not targeted by politicians, said Trudeau. We need to stand against this. 

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/1991636/poilievre-tells-trudeau-...

ETA: LGBTQ2S+ advocates that New Brunswick's Premier Higgs weakening of Policy 713 protections for LGBTQ2S+ students in elementary and secondary schools could be the beginning of a wave of anti-LGBTQ2S+ measures across Canada. Poilievre has already jumped in to support Higgs. Furthermore, "a conservative Christian group based in B.C. is calling it a test case for its own efforts to roll back school LGBTQ policies."  Jason Kenney passed a bill that rolled back previous protections for children who join Gay-Straight Alliances in schools. Several communities have stopped flying the Pride flag.
During the PEI election, Conservative Premier Dennis King defended his anit-trans comment rather than apologizing after " audio was released of him saying 'you don't gotta drive everything down everybody's throat' when asked about trans issues". King defended his comment by saying ""I think that's just indicative of a conversation that you have from time to time at a door" . Unsurprisingly, CBC has reported a surge in safety concerns for the transgender community in PEI. (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-dennis-king-1.67...)
In early April 2023, Quebec Conservative leader Eric Duhaime launched a petition demanding public funds and institutions such as libraries not be allowed to have drag show hours, thereby imitating the anti-trans invective of the Republican party and continuing his decades long anti-gay, anti-Muslim, racist, and misogynist history. Nearly 20,000 people signed the anti-trans petition in just two days. (https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-conservative-party-leader-launches-dr...)
And last, but certainly far from least, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has an extremely concerning anti-LGBTQ history. (https://xtramagazine.com/power/danielle-smith-new-alberta-premier-237362)
The NHL caved to players who did not want to wear pride colours. A Catholic shcool in Ontario decided not to raise the Pride flag despite student protests against the decision. Some Pride flags across the country have been "burned, damaged or stolen".

Apolicy about LGBTQ students at the heart of a political battle in New Brunswick could have a ripple effect across Canada, according to experts who say they're concerned it could open the door for other provincial governments to make similar changes. New Brunswick's Policy 713, which was introduced in August 2020, outlines minimum requirements for a safe environment for LGBTQ students. Earlier in June, the province's Progressive Conservative government made changes to the policy, scheduled to take effect on July 1. 

If those changes go forward, similar "attacks against the transgender and the non-binary community" could happen elsewhere in Canada, said Kristopher Wells, an associate professor at MacEwan University in Edmonton, and the Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth. "Once one government makes a change, then it becomes often easier or more popular for other governments to consider those changes as well," he told CBC News. "I think other provinces are obviously watching very closely to see what the potential fallout will be," said Helen Kennedy, the executive director for LGBTQ advocacy group Egale Canada.

New Brunswick's recent changes to the policy mean it's no longer mandatory for teachers to use the preferred pronouns or names of transgender or non-binary students under the age of 16. A teacher or school would need to obtain parental consent for any child who wants to change their name at school. A student who refuses parental involvement would be referred to a school psychologist or social worker to develop a plan to inform the student's parents. Premier Blaine Higgs has said that the changes reflect the government's desire to ensure parents play a role in the "formative years" of their children. Higgs defended the changes again Tuesday during an interview with CBC's Power and Politics, saying he was seeing "a tremendous outpouring of support" for his position. "Nationally, people are saying, 'Why wouldn't parents play a role?'" he said.

The change has caused turmoil in Higgs' cabinet, including two resignations. On Tuesday, he dropped two ministers who had voted against him on the gender-identity policy. Unionized school psychologists and social workers have filed two grievances with the provincial government.

It has also sparked federal debate, with both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre chiming in. Speaking at a Pride even in Toronto earlier in June, Trudeau spoke out against the changes. "Trans kids need to feel safe, not targeted by politicians. We need to stand against this," he said. On Tuesday, Poilievre told reporters that Trudeau should stay out of it, saying "the prime minister has no business in decisions that should rest with provinces and parents." 

"So my message to Justin Trudeau is, 'Butt out and let provinces run schools and let parents raise kids.' "

The changes have drawn national attention, with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) saying it will cause harm to trans and non-binary kids — not just in New Brunswick, but potentially across Canada.

"Make no mistake that this decision sets a dangerous precedent and that could instigate similar attempts to harm the rights of children across the country," Harini Sivalingam, lawyer and director of the Equality Program at the CCLA, said in a June 9 press release. Meanwhile, a conservative Christian group based in B.C. is calling it a test case for its own efforts to roll back school LGBTQ policies. ... 

LGBTQ rights in Canada are protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are protected in every provincial and territorial Human Rights Act. According to Wells, this means any public institution by law must provide a discrimination-free environment. But that doesn't mean that the rights won through the courts and through government can't be stripped away or taken away," he said.  Wells points to what happened after Jason Kenney was elected premier in Alberta — his United Conservative Party passed a controversial education bill that rolled back previous protections for children who join Gay-Straight Alliances in schools. While politicians can pass legislation or policies that can be seen as discriminatory, these can also be challenged in the courts, Wells said, noting that there are checks and balances in the system.

In New Brunswick, he said, the only recourse the community really has is to either file a human rights complaint or go through the court system. "But the reality is it takes a long time to challenge a government in court to get legislation ruled as being unconstitutional and stricken down," Wells said. "There's nothing stopping a government from passing discriminatory legislation. That's why people need to to be very careful about how they vote."

Egale Canada's Kennedy says she worries the changes to Policy 713 are just the beginning "Do I see a political trend here to scapegoat members of the 2SLGBTQI community? Absolutely," Kennedy said. "We forget that there are human beings attached to the other end of all these political opportunist actions." It's a hostile environment right now for the LGBTQ community, she said, noting the recent targeting of Pride flags as just one example.

Several communities across Canada, including Norwich, Ont., and Hope, B.C., have recently decided not to fly Pride flags. There have also been reports this year of flags in various provinces being stolen, damaged and burned. 

Earlier this month, students in Vaughan, Ont., walked out over the York Catholic District School Board's decision not to raise a Pride flag at its education centre.

As far as Policy 713 is concerned, Kennedy says other provinces are likely looking at both the political response — will an election be called? Will Higgs fall? — and the community response, such as parental pushback. And while she says it's been encouraging to see some opposition, she also says the damage has been done. "It's out there. We all know how [Higgs] feels about members of the 2SLGBTQI communities, and it's disturbing," she said.

"Every child, every student, has a right to a safe and inclusive education."

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/as-new-brunswick-changes-its-lgbtq...

In an atmosphere where American news and Canadian Conservative leaders make anti-LGBTQ comments, endorse hate groups associated with anti-LGBTQ issues, and weaken legal protections for LGBTQ Canadians, it is not surprising that anti-LGBTQ violence is on the rise in Canada. "Pride organizations across the country have been grappling with more threats, while anti-LGBTQ protesters have come out in force to oppose events held by the community year-round, such as child-friendly drag performances. It’s put security top of mind for Pride organizers — in some cases, for the very first time." (https://globalnews.ca/news/9788539/canada-pride-lgbtq2-security-online-t...)
Therefore it is not surprising that yesterday three people connected to the LGBTQ community were stabbed at the University of Waterloo in a gender-studies class exploring gender identity.

A 24-year-old former international student has been charged in the stabbings Wednesday in a University of Waterloo, Ont., classroom in what police believe was a hate-motivated incident targeting a gender-studies class.

Mark Crowell, chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service, told a media briefing Thursday the "planned and targeted attack" was a "senseless act of hate." Police said they're still investigating the incident, which sent three people to hospital, inside Hagey Hall. In the meantime, they've charged Geovanny Villalba-Aleman. Crowell said the accused has no criminal record.

According to police, "this was a hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity." "It's sad and disturbing that this incident happened during Pride Month," Crowell told the media briefing, adding he hopes it encourages the community to "all come together."

The accused, a recent graduate, has been charged with:

• Aggravated assault (three counts).
• Assault with a weapon (four counts). 
• Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose (two counts).
• Mischief under $5,000.

Some 40 students were inside the classroom during the stabbings. A 38-year-old female teacher from Kitchener and two students — a 20-year-old female and a 19-year-old male, both from Waterloo — were taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. In a tweet, University of Waterloo president Vivek Goel identified the teacher as Katy Fulfer. On the university website,  Fulfer is listed as an associate professor in the department of philosophy, and a gender and social justice undergraduate adviser. A note added to her staff profile page in the philosophy department reads, "We are horrified, saddened and outraged by the attack on our campus community yesterday, in which a professor and two students were stabbed during a Gender Issues class." 

Crowell said a man who was not a member of the class entered around 3:30 p.m. ET and spoke with the professor "before attacking her with two large knives without provocation." Some people in the class tried to stop what was happening, while others fled the room, he said. While students were attempting to escape, two students were stabbed and there was an attempt to stab a third student, who was not injured, Crowell said. ...

'Uptick in events' targeting LGBTQ community 

Crowell spoke to reporters about a "small uptick in events" recently targeting the LGBTQ community in Waterloo region.

Cait Glasson, an LGBTQ activist in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, said people in the community are reporting more cases of harassment and "being bothered on the street, and things like that." She said students should feel safe to "talk about the issues that need to be talked about" without the fear of being controlled by violence. Glasson said there are misconceptions and misinformation circulating about transgender people, such as children "getting puberty blockers like candy and surgeries all over the place," which leads people to believe untrue statements. ...

Aimée Morrison, an associate professor of English at the University of Waterloo, said "It's very difficult to imagine going into a classroom and teaching some of these more difficult topics, or topics that the people outside of the classroom find controversial or dangerous, or that must be stopped," Morrison said. "And to me, that is going to be the continuing tragedy of this."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/emergency-alert-univer...