What to know
- OneBC has proposed a “Gender Ideology Task Force” to make biological sex the foundation of law, policy and public institutions in British Columbia.
- The proposal would seek to remove gender identity from the B.C. Human Rights Code, schools, sports, medical practice for minors and official identification.
- Clio Lake of the Society for Advocacy for Gender-Affirming Healthcare (SAGAH) warns the proposals could harm Two-Spirit, Trans and non-binary people, particularly young people.
- Advocates say restrictions on gender-affirming care and school protections could threaten Trans youth’s well-being, privacy and access to essential healthcare.
- CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko says her party would not repeal SOGI 123 or change access to gender-affirming care if elected.
- The B.C. Conservatives and B.C. NDP did not respond to Queer & Now’s requests for comment.
Transgender rights advocates are raising concerns about proposals from OneBC to restrict how biological sex and gender identity are recognized in British Columbia, warning that policies targeting Trans youth could undermine their safety, access to healthcare and well-being.
On X, OneBC proposed the establishment of a provincial “Gender Ideology Task Force,” which would be led by BC’s Premier, the Minister of Health, and three other MLAs. The task force’s mandate would be to “restore biological sex as the foundation of law, policy, and public institutions in British Columbia.”
“The Task Force will draft and coordinate the legislative, regulatory, and administrative action needed to remove gender identity from the Human Rights Code, schools, sports, medical practice for minors, and official identification,” the post reads.
“Its work will prioritize the protection of women’s and girls’ rights, the safeguarding of children from experimental medical interventions, and the primacy of parental authority.”
But activists say not only would this be harmful, but the concept of restoring “biological sex as the foundation of law, policy, and public institutions” is also misleading. Fae Johnstone, co-founder of 2SLGBTQIA+ rights organization Queer Momentum, is among those raising concerns about the proposal.
“This is a proposed witch hunt that, if ever enacted, would cause severe harm to Trans people, youth and families across BC,” Johnstone told Queer & Now.
“Thankfully, British Columbians believe in dignity, fairness and equal treatment for Trans people – and see through the lies of One BC,” Johnstone continued. “We urge all British Columbians to support candidates in this election who will uphold the freedom and rights of Trans people – not candidates who want to punch down on minority youth and their families.”
Lauren Pragg, executive director of LGBT YouthLine, a youth-led, anti-racist peer support organization in Ontario providing confidential support for 2SLGBTQ+ youth, said the latest proposal reflects a broader pattern of attacks on Trans communities.
“LGBT YouthLine is disappointed, though not surprised, to hear about the latest Transphobic attack from OneBC,” Pragg told Queer & Now. “We are gravely concerned about this continued trend of attacking Trans communities and young people.”
Pragg echoed Johnstone, saying that such proposals attempt to make 2SLGBTQIA+ communities scapegoats.
“Taking away people’s rights, including those of women and youth, will not make any of us safer, but in fact set a precedent for the erosion of all human rights.”
Pragg explained that more than 55 per cent of YouthLine’s volunteers and 60 per cent of people who they support are Transgender. All young people deserve to grow up with choice, safety, joy, and freedom. Without the ability to live life authentically, we know that people’s mental and physical health are negatively impacted.
“We hope that the government of BC, and indeed, the Federal government, can work to protect our communities from these hateful attempts at control, silencing, and ideological coercion.”
British Columbia Transgender rights advocate raises concerns about the rights of Two-Spirit, Trans, Non-Binary community
Clio Lake, a director with the British Columbia-based Society for Advocacy for Gender-Affirming Healthcare (SAGAH), says OneBC’s proposal to establish a “gender ideology” task force raises serious concerns for Two-Spirit, Trans and Non-Binary people across the province.
“I think there is a big question of whether biological sex ever has been, and should biological sex ever be the foundation of law, policy, and public institutions?” Lake said in an interview with Queer & Now.
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Founded in 2024, SAGAH is a B.C.-based advocacy group that works to improve access to gender-affirming healthcare and standards of care for Two-Spirit, Transgender and Non-Binary people. Lake says the language used in OneBC’s proposals echoes rhetoric promoted by anti-Trans groups internationally, raising concerns about the potential consequences if similar policies gain political support in B.C.
“The stakes are very high in this election,” Lake said, referencing the Oct. 24 vote.
While OneBC’s electoral prospects differ from those of the B.C. Conservatives, Lake says voters should be paying attention to whether the province’s main conservative opposition party would support such proposals.
Lake pointed to previous votes by B.C. Conservative MLAs on policies associated with OneBC’s platform, as well as public engagement between some conservative politicians and anti-Trans campaigners, as reasons for seeking clarity on where the party stands.
“We want to know, and we want a direct answer from the BC Conservatives, their leadership, and members of their caucus. Do they support this rhetoric? Do they support these policies?” Lake said.
Earlier this week, SAGAH released a statement sounding the alarm on concerns it has about the Conservative Party of British Columbia’s platform, titled “Society for Advocacy for Gender-Affirming Healthcare raises alarm at BC Conservatives’ plans to attack Indigenous people, human rights, and queer and Trans youth.”
The statement warns that BC Conservative candidates’ statements and policy proposals could threaten the human rights and healthcare of Two-Spirit, Transgender and Non-Binary people, particularly young people. The organization criticizes Interim Leader Lorne Doerkson’s stated intention to repeal SOGI 123, his past support for bills targeting gender-affirming care and the BC Human Rights Code, and his response to controversial remarks from fellow candidates.
SAGAH also raises concerns about the party’s plans to repeal the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and North Island candidate Anna Kindy’s association with the LGB Alliance. The organization urges voters to consider the potential impact of the party’s policies on queer and Trans communities and make informed decisions in the provincial election.
Gender-affirming care is life-saving care: Advocate
Lake lamented the importance of remembering the effects of policies targeting gender identity extend beyond political debate, particularly for children and young people navigating school, family relationships and access to healthcare. She warns that policies requiring young people to be identified according to their sex assigned at birth could expose some Transgender youth to being outed without their consent, increasing their vulnerability to bullying and compromising their sense of safety.
The director also raised concerns about restrictions on gender-affirming medical care for Trans youth, describing the care as essential to supporting young people and their families.
“This is life-saving care. This is care that prevents suicide among youth,” Lake said, adding that gender-affirming care can include wraparound supports that help families and young people thrive.
She pointed to the experiences of youth in Alberta, the U.S. and the U.K. as examples of the potential consequences of policies restricting gender-affirming care. They also stressed that the anticipation of such restrictions can affect young people even before policies come into force.
SAGAH is calling on all political parties to clearly outline their positions on gender-affirming healthcare and explain how they plan to protect Two-Spirit, Trans and Non-Binary youth.
“We want all parties to be extremely clear about where they stand and what they plan to do to support, uplift, and defend queer and Trans youth in particular,” Lake said.
Lake also encouraged community members to remain civically engaged, research the parties’ positions and vote in the provincial election.
Provincial parties respond
Queer & Now reached out to British Columbia’s three largest political parties to ask them to outline their positions on gender-affirming healthcare and plans to protect Two-Spirit, Trans and Non-Binary youth.
CentreBC said that SAGAH is right in its Oct. 20 warning to families.
“This is not hypothetical. Other provinces have shown how quickly these promises become law once a party has the votes. Our answer is a government that spends its time on a family doctor for everyone, homes people can afford and safe streets, and that leaves families and their doctors alone,” CentreBC leader Elenore Sturko told Queer & Now.
“Like every family in British Columbia, my family is not up for debate,” Sturko, who is Lesbian, continued.
“I did not get into politics to argue about whether families like mine belong in a school library book. I got into it to make life affordable, fix health care, focus on housing and public safety, and that is what our platform is about,” Sturko continued. “But when the B.C. Conservatives write the removal of anti-bullying resources into their platform, and their leader votes to advance a bill that would abolish the Human Rights Code, people are right to ask where we stand.”
Sturko says if elected, CentreBC will not repeal or remove SOGI 123.
“It is a set of optional anti-bullying resources and policy templates for school districts. It is not curriculum, and it is not sex education,” she explained. “Materials in schools must be age-appropriate, and every parent is entitled to expect that. There is a marked difference between making sure materials are appropriate and eliminating every reference to a Charter-protected group of people.”
She explained that the B.C. Conservatives’ platform promises to repeal SOGI 123 (p. 45) while promising to protect students from harassment ‘based on personal characteristics.’
“One cannot do the second by removing the tools teachers use for the first, ” Sturko said.
“Kindness requires intellect. Children are not born knowing how to treat people who are different from them; they learn it, and schools exist to teach and refine that judgment.”
Sturko also shared that if elected, they have no plans to change access to gender-affirming care.
“Decisions about a young person’s care belong to that young person, their parents and their doctor, under the clinical standards in place,” she explained, pointing fingers at Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson for his stance.
“Mr. Doerkson voted to advance to debate a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors and a bill that would bar students from using new pronouns at school. Families should not have to wonder whether their child’s doctor will be overruled by a politician.”
Sturko continued on to say that their party respects the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a guide, and would repeal DRIPA, replacing it with a law built on negotiated treaties, with a dedication of $30 million a year for faster treaty talks, restored treaty advisory committees, and yearly reports to the legislature.
Addressing discrimination against Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer people in health care, Sturko says their platform does not contain a specific commitment, and they would rather say so than invent one today.
“The Human Rights Code applies in every hospital and public office in B.C., and we will keep it that way. We would welcome SAGAH’s recommendations on what more is needed,” she added.
The Conservative Party of British Columbia and the British Columbia NDP did not respond to Queer & Now’s request for comment.
