Toronto’s all-female punk rock band, Bad Waitress, posted an open letter from the Tegan and Sara Foundation petitioning against trans policies that have been proposed all over the nation.
The Artists Against Anti-Trans Legislation in Canada open letter was written by 2SLGBTQ+ rights non-profit Tegan and Sara Foundation on Mar. 31.
In February, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith she will introduce new fall legislation putting age limits on surgeries and hormone therapies for trans youth along with parental permission requirements.
New Brunswick and Saskatchewan announced they would also require parental consent for gender-diverse children under 16 who desire to change their names and pronouns.
Ontario hasn’t implemented any new policies. However, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said, “female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males,” in a February press conference.
The Tegan and Sara Foundation letter emphasizes these proposed legislation changes are discriminatory towards transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals.
“Far right groups are tapping into fear and pitting us against each other so they can create a Canada where we’re afraid of difference,” the letter states.
Many Toronto musicians and artists have signed the letter, taking advantage of their position for being part of a province that hasn’t planned to implement the same policies yet.
Along with Bad Waitress, renowned singers Anne Murray, Bryan Adams, and recent JUNO winner TOBi all signed the letter.
“As a band we share a variety of gender identities + self expression and it is painful to see what our country is trying to make a reality,” Bad Waitress said on their post.
Tegan and Sara Foundation Director and Canadian Screen Award winner Vivek Shraya spoke up about transgender issues a few days before the letter was posted during a NDP Trans Day of Visibility press conference on Mar. 27.
“Forcing teachers to out their students to their parents is absolutely not an act of care. This actually forces 2SLGBTQ+ students, who have the right to explore and figure out who they are in school just like their peers to potentially hide who they are and suffer in silence,” Shreya said.
Earlier in February, Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund also released a joint statement signed by 70 Canadian feminist organizations against the government of Alberta’s trans policies.
