In her April 7 column on drag queens and their place in the public space, Aurélie Lanctôt worries about the rise of the far right. In the course of her argument, she summons the feminist group Pour les droits des femmes du Québec (PDF Québec). It’s surprising to say the least.
PDF Quebec was founded in 2013 by Quebec feminist activists. During the foundation evening, a young feminist declared: “We want equality between women and men; respect for the dignity of women; solidarity with all women from here and elsewhere; greater social justice and the secularism of the Quebec state! And Michèle Sirois, the organization’s first president, added: “PDF Québec wants to bring together all women, beyond their differences and the diversity of their needs, with the primary objective of questioning the system patriarchal. »
It seems to me that M.me Lanctôt should agree with these remarks, she who regularly denounces patriarchy and who demands more social justice in her columns.
Now let’s see his analysis. Mme Lanctôt affirms in his column that PDF Quebec “pushes into the public space a discourse aimed at delegitimizing the existence of trans people”. This is absurd. PDF Quebec was founded in part by trans people; it is ridiculous to think that the organization would deny their existence. And even if it is not its fight, PDF Quebec opposes the discrimination that trans people may suffer.
On the other hand, PDF Quebec refuses to close its eyes to the real points of conflict between women’s rights and the demands of certain trans activists, and raises the question of the consequences for women if their rights based on sex. These are part of the rights protected by the Canadian and Quebec Charters.
Faced with the violence of men and the patriarchal system in place, these protections were wrested with great struggle by the feminists of previous generations. Replacing the concept of sex with that of gender in the laws of the country has serious consequences for women. This is a legal matter that should be treated with rigor.
I dare add that while I share the fear of the extreme right of Mme Lanctôt, I’m also afraid of people who call themselves leftists. Every time someone writes that PDF Quebec is a “transphobic” organization, messages inviting violence are left on their answering machine. We could debate the respective dangerousness of each group, of course, but we will agree that the supporters of both groups want to take away women’s rights. Both sides have violent and misogynistic representatives. The two sides seem to me to represent two sides of the same patriarchy.
Faced with this, I invite everyone to stand up for women against all forms of violence.