The Bilerico Project

When Even Silence Offends; When Silence Fails

Mercedes Allen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:30:00 -0500

Every year, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) sponsors the Day of Silence and encourages students to take a vow of silence for the day, "to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment." It occurs on Friday April 20th, this year - today.

The Day of Silence was started in 1996, at a time when silence was really the only permissible way to protest homophobic and transphobic bullying (and is still the only permissible means of protest in countries like Russia and Singapore, where some youth now mark the Day of Silence). In the past couple of years, a series of suicides drew attention to this kind of bullying.

To be clear, bullying is certainly not limited to homophobia and transphobia -- the kinds of conflicts kids face can be centered around body weight, lack of acceptable physical strength, pimples, voice, disability, race, mannerisms... just about anything that can be perceived can get singled out to make someone a target, and should not be lost in any discussion on bullying. But biases based on real or perceived sexual orientation and / or gender identity stand out because they're very often socially sanctioned or at least tacitly tolerated in the don't-ask-don't-tell environment of most schools.

Consequently, there is energy being made to ensure that they're included in the overall anti-bullying approach.

Continue reading "When Even Silence Offends; When Silence Fails"...

Homophobia: The New 'Hate Word'

Mercedes Allen — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:00 -0500

Increasingly, the Canadian far right has not merely imported rhetoric from south of the border, it has also refined and exported it as well. This was true of the "freedom of religion" theme picked up by U.S. bishops in response to the contraception mandate in healthcare - a tactic which began following the 2008 Lund v. Boissoin ruling from the Alberta Human Rights Commission (since overturned). Within the past week, a new tactic has emerged to oppose LGBT inclusive anti-bullying education: a drive to have words like "homophobia" banned from the discussion as "hate speech."

Throughout last year and into 2012, anti-bullying education has been a flashpoint on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

Continue reading "Homophobia: The New 'Hate Word'"...

On Trans* Beauty Contestants

Mercedes Allen — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:30:00 -0500

I have to admit, as far as trans issues go, beauty pageants are way down my list of priorities. At a time when it's difficult to access doctors willing to treat trans people for the flu let alone assist in transition, when even something as simple as basic human rights inclusion remains uncertain, and when I still struggle to find answers to questions about which shelters are willing to take in trans men or women, Miss Universe seems an alternate reality, in many ways.

The delisting of health care funding for genital reassignment surgery in 2009 made it difficult or impossible for many Albertans to reach a pivotal benchmark that would make beauty pageants (mainstream ones, anyway) a real possibility, let alone allow the documentation change that would enable legal congruence in their everyday lives. I've always been inclined to stand up for the "cause un-celebre"... pretty white people (and I mean that non-critically, as someone who is sometimes identified as such) usually have plenty of folks willing to stand up for them.

Too, I'm not all that comfortable with the idea of reinforcing the beauty myth, the gender expectations and stereotypes - to some of us, a kind of lookist oppression that keep women self-conscious, self-deprecating and at times too subjected to assert what we need. The way we devalue people based on their looks is devastatingly cruel. An "un-pretty" person aspiring to compete in such a pageant would easily receive the same kind of crude and derogatory remarks that a trans contestant does, and probably worse.

To those who tell me that "God doesn't make mistakes" regarding the birth sex of transsexuals, I've often responded that He or She does give us challenges, and I've always seen transsexual and transgender people as both having a challenge to become who we need to be, as well as presenting a challenge to society in how rigidly it tries to assert ideas of who women and men are, who they should be, and all the ways we unconsciously enforce the rules of gender.

All of that said, I can also understand how I would have felt if I'd been allowed to transition in my teens and been fortunately blessed. I'm not without empathy, don't want to project those pageant misgivings onto an individual, and secretly there's a part of me that hopes "our girl" (of course, I've never met her and have no real connection, but it will feel that way nevertheless) can have the opportunity to do us proud. We admire when people dare to stand above the crowd, and we want our youth to succeed - regardless of any other divergent thoughts we might have on the situation.

And it is in the context of all of that, that I (as a trans activist) see the dilemma of Jenna Talackova, the Canadian beauty pageant contestant who was disqualified from the 2012 Miss Universe Canada competition because she had been born physically male.

Continue reading "On Trans* Beauty Contestants"...

The Use of Spin to Minimize LGBT Issues

Mercedes Allen — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0500

I've been thinking on doing a few brief posts on seeing through spin, considering the growing escalation of techniques in Canada, which mirror an epidemic of it in the U.S. While my examples tend to look at the far-right, no one side of the social discussion is entirely innocent of spin - although in my experience, some far right sources are guilty of deliberate total obfuscation in a way that few other news and media sources can parallel.

Anyone who writes generates spin. The moment you write, you're selecting the words you use in order to maximize their effectiveness. I do it, although I hyperlink everything relentlessly (whether the source is from the right wing or left), so that readers can make up their minds for themselves whether they agree. But some deliberately omit, manipulate, relabel, cherry-pick, distort and change facts to try to make them fit a specific perspective is another issue entirely. This was seen vividly recently in one pseudo-news outlet's attempt to brush off LGB people as comprising 1.5% of the population.

Continue reading "The Use of Spin to Minimize LGBT Issues"...

Canadian MPs Snicker & Mock Trans Airport Screening Concerns

Mercedes Allen — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0500

I'm continuing the reportage of the new regulations that could potentially bar some trans Canadians from being able to board a plane. Here's part one for the background, and a statement from the Trans Equality Society of Alberta. There are a few online petitions to address the issue, including this one at Change.org.

Xtra is reporting that "Lebel and other Conservative MPs were openly 'snickering' and disrespectfully mocking Garrison, Morin and Liberal MP Justin Trudeau as they pressed the government for answers."

"The response was outrageous," [Olivia] Chow says. "It's totally ridiculous. If you listen to the audio, you can hear [Conservative MPs] snickering in the background."

There are two videos at the link.

Continue reading "Canadian MPs Snicker & Mock Trans Airport Screening Concerns"...

New Airport Screenings Raise Questions for Trans Canadians

Mercedes Allen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:00:00 -0500

Marathon runner Jennifer McCreath has pointed out a recent regulatory change that the Harper Conservatives have made to the Aeronautics Act (i.e. passed by ministerial fiat, rather than shepherded through Parliamentary process) that potentially affects many trans (and cis) Canadians and could even ban some from air travel:

Sec 5.2(1) An air carrier shall not transport a passenger if

(a) the passenger presents a piece of photo identification and does not resemble the photograph;
(b) the passenger does not appear to be the age indicated by the date of birth on the identification he or she presents;
(c) the passenger does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents; or
(d) the passenger presents more than one form of identification and there is a major discrepancy between those forms of identification.

(2) Despite paragraph (1)(a), an air carrier may transport a passenger who presents a piece of photo identification but does not resemble the photograph if

(a) the passenger's appearance changed for medical reasons after the photograph was taken and the passenger presents the air carrier with a document signed by a health care professional and attesting to that fact; or
(b) the passengers's face is bandaged for medical reasons and the passenger presents the air carrier with a document signed by a health care professional and attesting to that fact.

5.3(1) If there is a major discrepancy between the name on the identification presented by a passenger and the name on the passenger's boarding pass, an air carrier shall compare the name, date of birth and gender on the identification with those of persons specified to the air carrier by the Minister under paragraph 4.81(1)(b) of the Act.

(2) If the name, date of birth and gender on the identification are the same as those of a person specified to the air carrier, the air carrier shall immediately so inform the Minister.

This is a regulatory change made on July 29, 2011, and so far, it doesn't appear that there have been any reports of transsexual or transgender people being refused passage on an airline because of this change. However, regulatory changes aren't always made instantaneously.

Continue reading "New Airport Screenings Raise Questions for Trans Canadians"...

Will Canada Nullify Non-Canadian Same-Sex Marriages?

Mercedes Allen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:00:00 -0500

During the March 2011 federal election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper had vowed not to reopen the abortion and same-sex marriage debates. That was good enough for some Canadians, who elected the neo-liberal Conservatives to their first full majority government last year.

While Harper reiterated his pledge not to reopen the debate on same-sex marriage yesterday, a government lawyer entered a submission in a divorce case involving a couple from Florida and the United Kingdom stating that a same-sex marriage performed in Canada is not a legal marriage if the couple does not live in Canada. It's estimated that over 5,000 marriages have been performed for non-Canadian couples since 2004, when marriage equality was attained.

[Martha] McCarthy told Toronto host Matt Galloway on CBC Radio's Metro Morning that the government lawyer's argument in this case came as a shock.

"[I was] very surprised... Fell off my chair surprised," said McCarthy, a prominent Toronto lawyer with a long history of involvement in same-sex marriage cases.

Continue reading "Will Canada Nullify Non-Canadian Same-Sex Marriages?"...

MARS Canada Chooses Not to Affiliate With Transphobia

Mercedes Allen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 -0500

Not long ago, Charles McVety's transphobic "Don't Confuse Me" ads about a proposed LGBT-positive curriculum in Ontario made the rounds - first in the National Post (which apologized for running them) and then by Sun Media, which claimed they were free speech champions for doing so. The Toronto Sun and ~~FoxNewsNorth~~ SunTV, of course, ran the ads without questioning them, challenging them or giving any voice to a contrary opinion, even though they found multiple opportunities to mention the controversy and their heroic role in it. They believe in free speech... as long as Sun Media gets to monopolize what's said.

Blogger BigCityLib noticed that one of the advertisers whose ads was linked with McVety's during break time was Uncle Ben's rice.

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Canadian Official Asks Trans Woman to Accommodate 'Spooked' Royal Representative

Mercedes Allen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:00:00 -0500

CBC News is reporting that a human rights complaint has been filed against Northwest Territories' Finance Minister Michael Miltenberger over an incident that occurred during the December 9th visit to Aurora College by Canada's new Governor General, David Johnston. Miltenberger, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Thebacha, is alleged to have asked math and business student Gabrielle Landrie to leave on three occasions. On the second occasion, he was reported to have said that the Governor General's route through the campus was being re-routed to avoid her:

"Mr. Miltenberger walked up to us, looked at me directly, and said 'You have to leave'," said Landrie. "And I said, 'oh?', and he said 'You spooked the governor general so you have to leave'."

... "The amount of anger... you could basically almost taste it," said Landrie.

When she was finished her work in the computer lab, Landrie did leave, going out of her way to avoid the Governor General and Finance Minister.

The Governor General's Office has admitted that Johnston's exit route was changed during his visit, but says that it was a timing issue and had nothing to do with Landrie. CBC is reporting that Miltenberger - who was considered a contender for Premier and is considered a potential future leader for the Territory - declined to comment, pending a hearing by the NWT Human Rights Commission.

Continue reading "Canadian Official Asks Trans Woman to Accommodate 'Spooked' Royal Representative"...

The Motivation Behind the 'Transsexual Registration Act'

Mercedes Allen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:00:00 -0500

On December 10th, Monica at TransGriot pointed to a Facebook Group advocating for the creation of a "Transsexual Registration Act." The creator of that page and the idea he presents are fringe enough that we typically don't dignify them with attention, but sometimes it's important to point to these things and discuss them.

Far too often, we try to talk about the kinds of attitudes that we face and why we need to defend against them, but because those attitudes are rarely spoken out loud, the general public is allowed to rest easy in the conviction that these attitudes don't really exist or aren't really representative, and that addressing them is unnecessary. When we parse the perspective of the person who made this page and the connected video, there is a direct correlation with those that drive a type of violence that trans people can face, and that result in some of the tragedies we remember during the Transgender Day of Remembrance. There is actually significant value in documenting and parsing that hate, determining where it comes from, and reflecting on how prevalent it might be in society.

Some of the quotes will be difficult for some, so the discussion will follow after the fold -- save it for when you're prepared to delve into some incredibly disheartening attitudes. Consider this your trigger warning.

Continue reading "The Motivation Behind the 'Transsexual Registration Act'"...

In Defense of Affirming Christians

Mercedes Allen — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:00:00 -0500

This post is long overdue. It really is.

I've made this distinction in my blog before and also in comment threads, but it keeps coming up and requires a post of its own.

When I decry some of the radical and unhinged rhetoric that comes from some people who use the Bible as their justification - or to talk about some of the ways that growing up with a radical Christian ideology had hurt me and my family - I try to be clear that that these harms shouldn't be attributed to all Christians. I need to talk about these things - how faith is being used to justify discriminatory actions today, and how deeply those attitudes have cut me. I don't need that all turned into a message that all Christians are evil. I do have my own concerns about belief systems and what they can sometimes drive people to, but at the end of the day I choose to respect those who live respectfully. This also applies to affirming people of other faiths.

The one thing I am "anti" is oppression. This is regardless of whether the basis is race or sex or sexual orientation or age or belief or gender identity or gender expression or any other characteristic - and regardless of whether it is some Christians doing it, people inspired by some other ideology, or us doing it to each other. So when people talk about classifying the Bible as hate literature (to be fair, that post was nuanced and not wholly serious) or jumping all over an affirming person of faith who is trying to express how she sometimes feels under attack from both sides, you can count me out. I don't subscribe to any particular faith, nor do I condemn anyone else for theirs.

If we are to be truly anti-oppression, then we need to be vigilant that we don't visit it on anyone else.

Continue reading "In Defense of Affirming Christians"...

Passing Trans Human Rights in Canada With a Conservative Majority

Mercedes Allen — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:00:00 -0500

"It'll never pass," I often heard. "Not with a Harper government. They'd never support human rights inclusion for transsexual and transgender people."

And then it passed.

Oh, Bill C-389 -- championed by the now-retired NDP MP Bill Siksay -- had its challenges. It narrowly passed Second Reading in June of 2010, and again at Third Reading in February, 2011. Had an election call not killed the bill while awaiting discussion in the Senate, it could have reached Royal Assent... instead of having to start over.

Randall Garrison and Hedy Fry have re-introduced legislation to include gender identity and gender expression among the protected classes in the Canada Human Rights Act, as well as those in the hate crimes clause of the Criminal Code of Canada.

"It'll never pass," I often hear. "Not with a Harper majority. They'd never support human rights inclusion for transsexual and transgender people."

No doubt, the challenges are bigger. It would be tougher to pass this bill. It will take more effort, and the additional vocal support of trans-positive allies is absolutely crucial. But it's not impossible.

Here is a quick summary of the process the bill faces. It has been read into Parliament for First Reading, which is a formality. The order in which Private Members have their bills discussed by Parliament is determined by a kind of lottery, and Garrison's bill, C-279, could come up for Second Reading in as soon as five months from now. At that point, it will face its first hour of discussion and a vote; if it passes, it will be sent to committee -- probably to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, where it was referred last time. Then the committee would need to discuss the bill and decide whether to hear statements from interested parties, make modifications or pass it forward. At that point, a vote on "report stage" would take place in the house, allowing it to proceed to Third Reading, probably six to twelve months later. Third Reading is comprised of a second hour of debate and a final vote, and if it passes that, then proceeds to the same three readings in the Senate.

It sounds like a long, complicated and daunting process, impossible with a hard-right or hard-right -influenced government. But it passed under a Conservative minority, can could pass again. Here's how:

Continue reading "Passing Trans Human Rights in Canada With a Conservative Majority"...

Canada Rules on Polygamy, Polyamory & Religious Freedom

Mercedes Allen — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:00:00 -0500

British Columbia Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Bauman has ruled that Canadian laws which limit religious freedom can be upheld if it is felt by the court that the harms in question outweigh that freedom. In fact, the ruling broadens the ways in which the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms can be limited overall. This is a provincial court ruling, and could still be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, but it's the highest court ruling to date on polygamy in Canada.

That's probably the least-noticed aspect of the provincial court's judgment regarding polygamy and polyamory in Canada, and it makes it weirdly ironic that faith-based news websites are cheering this as a victory... although they have to deliberately omit (which wouldn't be the first time) the judge's discussion of freedom of religion, in the process. It's amazing how quickly some can be willing to abandon the cause of "religious freedom" when it's someone else's religion in question.

But given that the same folks are seeking ways to reopen the debate about same-sex marriage in Canada, there has been anticipation of this ruling providing ways and language to do so. And indeed, in this decision, there's something for everyone - but I'll have to discuss the likely coming epidemic of Canadian-driven "medical studies" to do things like allege connections between lesbianism and cervical cancer, gay parents with bullying (etc.) at a later date. For now, this ruling speaks specifically to polygamy and polyamory.

Continue reading "Canada Rules on Polygamy, Polyamory & Religious Freedom"...

Anti-Abortion Lobby Dances on Graves

Mercedes Allen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:30:00 -0500

Recently, leaders of Commonwealth nations met to discuss pressing international issues, and leaders from the U.K., Canada and others pressed for human rights reforms for LGBT people. British Prime Minister David Cameron went so far as to threaten to cut off aid to member nations that still criminalize homosexuality -- something that was met with accusations of "bullying." Nigeria responded by redoubling efforts to symbolically pass a bill to ban same-sex marriage (even though homosexuality is already illegal there), including witnessing, participating in and "abetting" a same-sex marriage (it's unclear from the text of this bill if this is limited to marriages performed in Nigeria) which had been simmering for a few months.

Anti-abortion "news" websites Human Life International (HLI) World Watch and Canada's LifeSiteNews (LSN) have taken encouragement from this, and co-published an article cheering Nigeria on, calling the bill something that "pro-life and pro-family supporters" should rally behind. The two often partner, and at least one of the organizations is engaged in ongoing work against LGBT people in Nigeria:

"Human Life International Nigeria is joining forces with other pro-life organizations and well-meaning Nigerians in mobilizing support for the defense of this bill," said Chizoba Nnagboh, Human Life International (HLI) country director in Nigeria.
...
Last week, HLI Nigeria sent a letter in support of the bill to outlaw same-sex "marriage" to the Nigerian Senate ahead of a public hearing on the bill on October 31, 2011.

Did I happen to mention that in Nigeria, homosexuality is already punishable by death in 12 states and up to 14 years imprisonment everywhere else?

Neither do Human Life International or LifeSiteNews.

Continue reading "Anti-Abortion Lobby Dances on Graves"...

Hate Speech on Trial in Canada

Mercedes Allen — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:00:00 -0500

If you lived in certain parts of Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Toronto over the past decade, there's a chance you've encountered or at least heard about fliers distributed by Bill Whatcott. These fliers are typically peppered with photos of naked or half-naked gay men kissing (or, in at least one instance, engaging in oral sex), with face photos of political opponents or "villains" placed strategically to cover genitalia or buttocks. Some of the photos are from Pride events, putting Whatcott in a class with "Porno" Peter LaBarbera, but with a dash of Martin "poo porn" Ssempa thrown in. Perhaps the comparison is more appropriate than it first seems: LaBarbera has defended attempts in Uganda to make homosexuality punishable by death, while Ssempa has used exactly this kind of sentiment to whip up the nation's population to support the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

In Edmonton, Whatcott borrowed a tactic from cigarette packaging and distributed a flier that attempted to portray homosexuality as a public health emergency that needed stamping out, complete with graphic photos of anal warts (from whence his nickname on my blog derives). A 2009 flier included a rendition of "Kill the Homosexuals," a rewrite of a song entitled "Kill the Christians" by Decide on their album, Off the Cross - which was, ironically but appropriately, also the subject of a 2003 human rights complaint.

The 2001-2002 fliers that Whatcott is on trial for attempt to conflate homosexuality with pedophilia and are peppered with incendiary invectives. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission initially ruled against Whatcott for the flyers, but the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal overturned it. The Supreme Court of Canada heard the case this week, including testimony from what is believed to be the largest number of legal intervenors in any court case in Canadian history.

Continue reading "Hate Speech on Trial in Canada"...