The pop duo Tegan and Sara published an open letter signed by more than 400 Canadian artists from the world of music, cinema and literature, denouncing laws adopted in Canada which they describe as “anti-trans”.
The list of signatories includes actor Elliot Page, Great Big Sea singer Alan Doyle, actress Elisha Cuthbert, folk-rock music legend Neil Young, recent Grammy winner Allison Russell and Lois and Bram, from the former children’s performing trio “Sharon, Lois & Bram”.
Lisa LeBlanc, Alexandra Stréliski, the Karkwa group and Béatrice Martin, aka Cœur de pirate, also signed the letter.
The letter denounces policies proposed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith regarding pronouns for gender-diverse children in schools, as well as new guidelines for hormone therapy.
It also says similar school pronoun policies in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan are examples of discriminatory laws targeting transgender youth.
According to the letter, these policies pose a clear risk to the mental and physical well-being of transgender people in the country.
The artists who signed the letter, including singer Anne Murray, director Deepa Mehta and author Michael Crummey, say they are opposed to these “alarming and destructive policies” and are calling on all levels of government to put an end to them.
The release of the open letter coincides with International Transgender Day of Visibility, which aims to raise awareness of the discrimination faced by the transgender community.