Four Simple Words For The Bigots And Haters: "Gender Identity Is Real," #2

Yes, even in Canada, some folks just don't get it

A pride banner at J.D. Irving’s head office in Saint John, New Brunswick (Ian Austen/NY Times)

If you go after Policy 713, then you can go after the curriculum. If you can go after the curriculum, then can you also go after the books in the schools that discuss those parts of the curriculum? You can sort of see the writing on the wall. That’s why it’s important to cut this off right now.

• Gail Costello, co-chair of Pride in Education

A lot of energy and attention is consumed assuming that the battle fought to preserve LGBTQ rights is a primarily American phenomenon when, in fact, it extends far beyond our borders.

Uganda, for instance, recently passed a law that allows for the execution of those found “guilty” of being LGBTQ. That’s at the far end of the spectrum, but there are also countries like Poland, where in parts of the country, being LGBTQ is now illegal. Things here in the US may not be as bad for LGBTQ people as they are in other countries, but that doesn’t mean they’re good.

And, if we look to our north, Canada is also wrestling with issues surrounding LGBTQ rights. There are places- Vancouver, BC, comes immediately to mind- where being LGBTQ is much easier and more readily accepted.

(Blaine Higgs, Premier of the province of New Brunswick, Canada…and a deserving Golden Flaming Asshole winner)

Then you have places like the province of New Brunswick, where the issue of deadnaming children has sparked a firestorm of criticism. For nearly two years, the province has had a policy requiring teachers to use a child’s preferred name and gender. That seems like a decent and respectful thing to do for students already struggling with the difficulties associated with transitioning genders.

Now, under a policy introduced by Premier Blaine Higgs, teachers must obtain the permission of parents to use a student’s preferred name if that student is under age 16.

The new policy, which does not require legislative approval, has created a political firestorm that has the potential to topple his government.

Backlash mounted against him during a week when Canada was outraged by a mother’s accusation that a man questioned her 9-year-old daughter’s gender at a shot-put competition in Kelowna, British Columbia. As my colleague Dan Bilefsky reported, the man denied accosting the girl or her mother, telling Castanet, a local online news website, that he only asked an official if the event was coed.

Criticism and condemnation of Mr. Higgs’s policy came swiftly from L.G.B.T.Q. activists, political opponents, teachers, former public servants and the official who serves as the province’s child and youth advocate. Mr. Higgs’s move also sparked an open revolt within his Progressive Conservative caucus.

Why the policy change? What was the identified “problem” the new policy was intended to address and resolve?

It’s difficult to know what problem Premier Higgs is attempting to resolve because he’s not saying much, other than remaining defiant in the face of withering criticism.

In the midst of the political firestorm he created, Mr. Higgs remains defiant.

After telling the legislature that gender dysphoria is something that has become “popular and trendy,” Mr. Higgs said that the current policy, which his government will replace at the end of the month, creates “an erosion of the family role in child’s upbringing.”

Gender dysphoria has become “popular and trendy?” I’d like to see the data on which the Premier bases his policy…because I have a feeling there IS no data to support it other than his personal prejudice. And I’m guessing he’s also not an expert on child-rearing, despite his willingness to assert his ignorance and arrogance as official provincial policy.

I’ve written about this previously, and the bottom line is pretty simple. Despite the transphobia and prejudice of Conservatives, gender identity is real.

No one should be able to use their fear or prejudice to determine whether, how, or even if children should be allowed to transition. And, more than anything, no one should insert themselves ahead of parents, who know their children best.

You don’t have to like the idea of a child deciding they’re transgender, but if it’s not you’re child, it’s none of your damned business. And if a parent loves their child enough to support them through what promises only to be a challenging and painful process, then those on the outside should have only one response:

Butt out.

Because the question remains the same as it always has- how does the decision a child makes (and a parent supports) impact the quality of your life?

The short version, of course, is that it doesn’t and never will. Your principled opinion or religious convictions has no place in a family that’s not yours.

Exactly why the policy has become a concern for Mr. Higgs over the last two years is not fully clear. During the debate on the motion he lost, Mr. Higgs said that it “kind of slid into the system” in 2020 and got broader attention only when people began hearing about drag queen story times in libraries. But a leader of the group that helped develop the 2020 policy that Mr. Higgs is rolling back said the group had been working with the government on the policy for about a decade.

There’s no compelling reason for the government of New Brunswick to be changing this policy now. It’s refreshing to see that so many are pushing back so hard against the Premier’s decision to roll back the previous policy so that things can be made even more challenging for transgender children.

Trans children pose no threat to anyone. They’re only trying to find their way to becoming the person they feel they truly should be. That’s difficult enough for an adult; for a child or a teenager, well, I can’t begin to imagine how complicated the transitioning process must be. Government should find ways to reduce to mental strain and anguish children face during this process.

Instead, Premier Higgs is proposing making things more difficult and stressful for those under age 16…and towards what end? What is he hoping to accomplish? What problem is he hoping to solve? We don’t know because he isn’t saying much.

We do know that he appears to have failed the Asshole Test.

It would be interesting to hear Premier Higgs attempt to justify or rationalize his reasoning for his new policy. I suspect it would be little more than an irrational mash-up of Conservative arguments based on prejudice and transphobia. There’s no compelling argument for government to override the interests of a child and the decisions of parents who know and love that child.

What conceivable state interest could be served by creating more suffering and emotional pain for a child who’s already endured far too much?

The good news is the number of people who recognize this and are pushing back against Premier Higgs’ policy. They understand that there’s no compelling interest to be served by the new policy. And they know that standing up for transgender children is the right thing to do.

Even in Canada, the need arises to fight against ignorance, homophobia, and transphobia. And as long as that need exists, there are good and decent people willing to take on that fight.

It’s sad the need to continue this battle still exists, but as long as hatred and bigotry continue to push ahead, there will be a need to beat them back until they no longer threaten those who only want to be their authentic selves.

People are people. Love is love. Hatred and bigotry should have no place in this world.

Let’s make sure it doesn’t.