Dear Editor:
Statement against Poilievre鈥檚 misinformed rhetoric.
For many years, there has been a concentrated effort by certain factions both at home and abroad to attempt to curtail the rights of transgender, intersex, and non-binary people. The simple act of trying to exist and live their authentic lives in peace has been viewed by some as something new and radical that requires legal intervention, condemnation, isolation, and violence to 鈥榗orrect鈥�. History, however, has shown us that gender nonconformity is a verifiable part of human civilization.
Human beings who identified outside the gender binary of their societies have existed for thousands of years. These people have been recorded as playing a variety of roles in their communities throughout our history and have had varying levels of recognition. Despite numerous attempts to erase these verifiable facts and rewrite our species鈥檚 past, the existence and validity of transgender people has remained.
In the face of these facts, there has been a growing push to silence trans, intersex, and non-binary identities. The drastic changes being made below our border are wide-ranging, from removing mentions of transgender people from government websites to purging them from their militaries. Pierre Poilievre, an individual vying for the position of Prime Minister of Canada, has repeatedly denied the existence of more than the male/female binary and continues to support organizations fighting to silence trans voices. We strongly condemn these actions. Instead, we encourage open, honest dialogues in our communities to help dispel misinformation about gender nonconforming people to help unite us in our differences rather than divide us in our fears. When we support those who defy the binary, we help make room for cisgendered and non-queer people to explore and express themselves, too.
Pride stands fully in support of our gender diverse community. In these trying, uncertain times, it's important for us to remember our unity, resilience, and courage as queer people. We have survived innumerable attempts to erase us throughout history.
With the support of our communities, queer and straight alike, we will survive and thrive through this too.
We are valid. We are human. And we are not a threat.
Board of Directors
Pride Society of the Comox Valley
