Anti-trans protests, “committee of wise men” and rising transphobia: the last year has been marked by many trials for the trans and non-binary communities, pushing them to mobilize to prevent the regression of their rights.
The Press spoke with the Executive Director of Aide aux Trans du Québec (AQT), Victoria Legault, to take stock of this tumultuous year experienced by people from gender diverse backgrounds. This young 23-year-old Executive Director has been at the helm of the ATQ for a year and a half, which will celebrate its 45th anniversary next year.
“We’ve seen in the last year that violence against trans people has taken a different turn,” explains Victoria Legault. “We have people who tell us that they’ve been followed in the street or that they’ve been physically attacked.”
Anti-trans hate on the rise
In the space of a year, Montreal has been the scene of three anti-trans demonstrations organized by the pan-Canadian movement against the teaching of gender theories in schools, 1 Million March 4 Children1.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Pro- and anti-LGBTQ+ protesters clashed during a demonstration in Montreal last September
These demonstrations were part of a broader wave of hatred against LGBTQ2+ people around the world, which has been felt here in Quebec.
With the current socio-political context and the issues surrounding trans people that are generating so many reactions, this causes a lot of anxiety and insecurity among trans people who need to externalize and come and talk with us.
Victoria Legault, General Director of Quebec Trans Assistance
Their organization helps trans and non-binary people through a psychosocial support service, weekly support groups, employment assistance and emergency assistance. The ATQ has also offered a listening line since its creation in 1980.
“There are a lot of trans people who are experiencing more isolation than before and more rejection,” says Victoria Legault. “We still have people who come to see us and explain that they lost their job following the announcement of their transition.”
According to her, the trans and non-binary communities are victims of the same hatred that was aimed at gay and lesbian people just a few years ago.
“A few years ago, gay men were attacked as groomers, and all this hyper violent speech is now used against [nous]she said. It’s the same cycle repeating itself, but against trans and non-binary people.”
The “inconsistencies” of the political environment
Following the anti-trans protests in the fall and the polarization surrounding questions about gender identity, the Quebec government set up the “committee of wise men” in December 2023. The work of the said committee will allow Quebec “to make its future decisions in a more informed manner,” we can read on the government website.
The government is supporting us at the moment, but there are a lot of inconsistencies in its actions. The committee of wise men has created a lot of uncertainty, because the fear that persists is that it will lead the government to make decisions that could be regressive in relation to our rights.
Victoria Legault, General Director of Quebec Trans Assistance
She points out that none of the three people appointed to the committee of wise men have expertise on the issue of gender identity or a direct link with the trans and non-binary communities.2.
“There were still several decisions taken [par Québec] that could have damaged relations between the government and the community, admits the general director of the ATQ. It’s strange, a government that makes decisions against our will, like the committee of wise men, and then comes to reveal to us an increased funding envelope.
Victoria Legault deplores the late adoption in 2023 of the X gender designation on official Quebec documents and the positions taken by the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, regarding gender-neutral toilets.3while the committee of wise men must submit its report in winter 2025.
“On certain issues, the government wants to wait for the conclusions of the committee of wise men, while on other issues it has no problem moving forward with certain directives,” she said.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Victoria Legault, General Director of Assistance for Trans People in Quebec (ATQ)
She also decried the “wave of hatred” received by trans communities after the leader of the Parti Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, claimed last September that ideologies of the “radical left”, particularly on gender identity, were being imposed in schools.4.
“In the last year, there have been many politicians who have spoken out on these issues in the media and some have done so very hastily without taking the time to come and discuss with [nous]explains Victoria Legault. This kind of public speaking out by people who have power, it really frees people up from taking openly transphobic or discriminatory positions.”
Community resilience
Victoria Legault argues that to address this increase in hate, trans and non-binary communities need more funding from governments, but also from the private sector. She also stresses the need to offer more services to people in these communities.
“Faced with this rise in hatred, we are not about to give up, the work continues, we are mobilizing and that is what we have always done,” she says. Trans people have always existed and they will continue to be there and to be part of society, even if it may displease some people.”
Some ideas about sexual and gender diversity
Sex assigned at birth is the classification of the body as “female” or “male” based on external genitalia.
Gender identity is the gender a person identifies with, whether or not it matches the sex they were assigned at birth (female or male). People who do not identify with either of these two categories are called “non-binary.” Other people do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. These are referred to as transgender (trans) people.
Gender expression is how a person expresses their gender, whether or not it matches their biological sex and gender identity, such as the clothes they wear. It can be influenced by culture. In Quebec, a skirt is traditionally a feminine garment, while in Scotland, the kilt is a symbol of masculinity.
Sexual orientation is romantic and sexual attraction to different genders.
1. Read “Gender Identity: Two Demonstrations Oppose Downtown Montreal”
2. Read “Gender Identity: No Trans or Non-Binary People Among the “Wise Men” of Quebec”
3. Read “Public schools: Drainville maintains existing mixed toilets, but bans new ones”
4. Read “Parliamentary commission requested: PQ concerned about “radical left” ideologies in schools”