Natalie Reed’s audience is much larger than mine, and I can’t imagine that there are too many of you reading this who aren’t reading her as well (and if you’re not, you should be). However, this issue is important so I’m going to signal boost as much as I can:
Next month, in April, an extremely pivotal bill is going to be up for debate in the Canadian parliament. It’s Bill C-279, which will add gender identity and gender expression to the list of statuses protected under the Canadian Human Rights Code, and amend the pertinent sections of the Criminal Code in regards to anti-transgender violence, assault, and harassment.
Currently, transgender Canadians have no such protections, and may be discriminated against on the basis of their gender by employers, businesses, shelters, institutions (public or private) and individuals without any legal consequence. Effectively, I can be turned down for a job, barred from entering a restaurant, denied admittance to a shelter or hostel, or forced to comply with male dress-codes at public institutions without my having any recourse. If I am harassed, assaulted or murdered on the basis of my being trans, this does nto qualify as a hate crime. I am in the position of having to depend simply on the mercies of a legally empowered majority to choose not to exercise their right to openly discriminate against me.
This is not okay.
Read the rest of the post, then (if you’re Canadian), call your MP and demand an answer. My MP (who I can’t imagine opposes this bill) is being uncharacteristically circumspect, so I’m going to keep pressing her. Right now the biggest opponent of the bill is the fact that nobody’s talking about it. Let’s see if we can’t get some chatter going.
Signed. I also sent an email of support to my MP (the only non-conservative MP in Alberta. Sigh. We really shouldn’t be allowed to vote in this province. Maybe we could do something else, like maybe they put us all in a big stadium, show us pictures of each party leader, and then they measure the volume of our grunting, and we all get a banana and some raw chicken after. Then they throw the results of the grunt-o-meter away, because we’re a province of morons. But, I digress.) It’s based on an email that SNR commenter embertine wrote. I don’t know how such things are supposed to work, but maybe let embertine know if you use it:
“Dear [My NDP MP],
I just wanted to voice my support for Bill C279 which is up for debate next month in Parliament. Trans Canadians face terrible discrimination in terms of employment, housing and in their day-to-day interactions. This discrimination forces them onto the streets, frequently into sex work just to survive, and drives many individuals to suicide.
At the moment, Canadian law allows, and by omission endorses, this inhumane treatment. This needs to change. Thank you, and your fellow NDP MP Randall Garrison, for representing those of us Canadians who value fairness, integrity, and the dignity of all.
Sincerely,
[Name ‘The Man’ Knows Brownian by]”
Signed and I’m also sending an email to my mp (though I don’t expect the jackass to do anything).
As to Natalie having a bigger readership then you, if it makes you feel better I was reading you on and off before you moved here.
I’m sending a letter to my MP too. I’m sure Rona Ambrose can find someone in in her office to read it to her and explain the big words.
I’d also recommend contacting local media outlets. Press them about why they aren’t covering this story (while the comparatively much less important disqualification of Jenna Talackova from Miss Universe Canada is getting TONS of press).
Is it taking American signatures? If so, I’ll sign.
Might not be the best idea. The Tories are already complaining loudly about ‘foreign interests and money’ involved in the opposition to the oil pipeline they want built. Of course, they ignore the foreign interests and money involved in support of it, because that’s the right kind of money, and anyone who brings this up must be a dirty rotten radical communist who hates kittens and babies and sunshine.
*sigh*
Damn.
Is there anything non-Canadians can do?
Well, I know I don’t need to convince my MP, since he is the one who introduced the bill. I will send him a thank you note, though.
Natalie, maybe we can use the Jenna Talackova story to draw a diagram for the press why this law is needed.
Americans have already been signing it, meaning the tories could make that complaint anyway. JUST SIGN.
Yes, ma’am!