Seriously? This article over at HuffPost is a must read. I am still shocked at the myopic view that our society has concerning gender.....and how stressful it must be to "travel while Trans".

Our friend at Slapupsidethehead has a post that takes a look at what really happened recently with the Canadian Conservative government/Justice Department relating to foreign couples who get married in Canada. They cut through the spin for us quite nicely. Be sure and check it out.

Check out this CBC report and video on the anti-bullying rally in Toronto that drew 9,000 students from around Toronto. And, please visit this site to tell Stephen Harper not to sell the CBC.....it's one of the things that makes Canada great.

A quebec university has received $450,000 from the Quebec government in order to create a Research Chair on Homophobia. The position will study the impact of homophobia on mental, physical, and sexual health. This is a great frist step, and I hope that other universities across Canada consider something similar. We need more studies looking at homophobia's effect on the lifecourse of queer people --- research that looks at the negative effects of homophobia, and research that examines how the majority of queer people emerge later in life without lasting effects, despite extremely challenging lives (aka. Resilience).

Slap has a piece on John Cummins (the only candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party in B.C) and his recent comments. Is this the shot across the bow I have been dreading? Or am I just a little jumpy?

 

"Canada's diversity includes gay and lesbian Canadians," states the guide, "who enjoy the full
protection of and equal treatment under the law, including access to civil marriage. Together, these diverse groups, sharing a common Canadian identity, make up today's multicultural society."

Egale Canada is pleased that the new guide accurately reflects the current climate in Canada. Nonetheless, its obvious omission of our trans population highlights the urgent need to pass Bill C-389 before the next election, in
order to ensure the rightful inclusion of trans people within Canada's human rights regime. Bill C-389, currently before the Senate, would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) to include "gender identity" and "gender
expression" as prohibited grounds of discrimination. It would also add crimes motivated by transphobia to the list of crimes treated by the Criminal Code as potential hate crimes. This kind of explicit reference within the CHRA would afford transgender, transsexual, cross-dresser, intersex, gender-queer, gender non-conforming and gender-open individuals clearer protection against discrimination and help create a safer Canada for all of us.

by B.J. Caldwell, qlinks contributor

The following is an open letter/press release from Egale Canada in response to this ridiculous flouting of existing case law and reality:

November 30, 2010

The Hon. Vic Toews, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you in regard to your recent decision to halt funding for sex reassignment surgery (SRS) for transsexual inmates of federal institutions.

The determination of whether SRS [Sex Reassignment Surgery] is a medically necessary service cannot be made through a blanket provision. Rather, such a determination must be made on an individual basis by a qualified medical professional, as ruled by both the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and the Federal Court of Canada, in 2001 and 2003 respectively. The CHRT clearly ordered that a blanket prohibition on access to SRS for inmates was discriminatory on the basis of both sex and disability, and that the Correctional Service of Canada must provide access and financial coverage where such services are deemed essential. As such, I strongly urge you to reconsider the cessation of funding, and immediately reinstate access to SRS, a medical service that can indeed be critical both to the rehabilitation process and the daily lives of many transsexual people.

I look forward to your swift response and resolution of this issue.

Sincerely,


Helen Kennedy
Executive Director
Egale Canada

Millions of Americans (in certain U.S. states) can still be fired simply for being gay or transgender.

The relatively new and very direct-action group GetEQUAL took to the usually non-politically orientated city of Nevada to protest Senator Harry Reid (Democrat and Senate Majority Leader). Reid had promised on a few prior occasions to bring the Employment Non Discrimination Act to a vote in the Senate, but has since not come through with his promise. Now, to be sure, Reid is a very progressive politician and a friend to the queer community. So, for him to be so publicly protested says something. With U.S. mid-term elections coming up in November and a possible change in the makeup of both House and Senate, GetEQUAL is concerned. With a visible lack in leadership (or serious lobbying effort)  from some of the big U.S. national queer groups, they feel direct action is required to bring awareness to the issue and essentially to ask that the politicians keep their promises. Again, this is for basic civil liberties (ie. no one can fire them just for being queer). Astounding. Here is a map of the current laws with respect to sexual orientation and gender identity in the U.S.

Quebec outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation in 1977 in both public and private affairs becoming the first jurisdiction (larger than a city or county) in the world to do so. The same year the Canadian Immigration Act was amended to remove the ban on "homosexual men" as immigrants. When our Constitution was repatriated in 1982 the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was added. While it did not explicitly list sexual orientation under the equality clause (Section 15) it was meant to allow the Courts to decide the grounds with which to include (wouldn't it have been easier to just add those 18 letters then?) And in 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada finally did rule that "sexual orientation" should be read into Section 15 (duh?).

The U.S. has seriously fallen behind the world in regards to providing all its citizens with basic civil liberties. Argentina has also recently added itself to the growing list of countries which allow both lesbians and gays to enter into government recognized marriages. For a list of global progress on the marriage front:

On Thursday, May 14th Uruguayan President Tabare Vasquez announced his government will "allow gays to join the armed forces by scrapping military rules that define homosexuality as a disorder." Vasquez explained his decision saying, " The Uruguayan government does not discriminate against citizens based on their political, ethnic, or sexual identity."

Uruguay's Deputy Defense Minister elaborated, " There were a series of rules...regarding the psycho-physical requirements (for entry into the armed forces) in which homosexuality was seen as a sexual identity disorder, and this is what is being repealed."

The following countries allow gays and lesbians to serve openly:

• Australia
• Bermuda
• Canada
• Germany
• Israel
• Italy
• The Netherlands
• Romania
• United Kingdom
• Switzerland
• Uruguay

The U.S. still has it's "Dont Ask Don't Tell Don't Harass" policy which Obama has promised to repeal, though his promise seems to be wavering lately. In Russia, those alleged to have "sexual identity problems" are to be drafted only during war time stating that "well adjusted homosexuals" are permitted to serve in a normal capacity". In Germany, tolerance towards all sexual orientations is considered to be part of the duty of military personnel and sexual relations (regardless of sexual orientation) are considered irrelevant if outside of "service time" (on the soldier's own time).

The details on Canada (from wikipedia.org):

In 1976, the Canadian Forces issued Canadian Forces Administrative Order (CFAO) 19-20, which allowed members suspected of being homosexual to be investigated and then subsequently released. This order was repealed in 1992, after a challenge by then CF Member Michelle Douglas, thereby allowing gay, lesbian and transgendered people to serve in the Canadian Forces free from harassment and discrimination.

A series of provincial and territorial Supreme Court decisions beginning in 2003 ruled in favour of the legality of gay marriage, and a national law to that effect was passed by Canada's parliament in 2005 by the Paul Martin Liberal government. In May 2005, Canada's first military gay wedding took place at Nova Scotia's Canadian Forces Base Greenwood. Officials described the ceremony as low-key but touching. A similar wedding has since taken place between two male Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers.

Today, the Canadian Forces recognizes same-sex marital and common-law unions, and affords them the same benefits offered to all married or common-law serving members.

During the 2008 Toronto Pride Parade, ten members of the Canadian Forces marched for the first time. One month later, twelve gay and straight members of the Canadian Forces marched in Vancouver's Pride Parade. Lt(N) Steven Churm said, "The message to the public is that the Canadian Forces is an employer of choice. We have employment opportunities that people can pursue, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation. For our own members, they can be proud of what they're doing and also be proud of who they are."