The trans community is experiencing an increase in hate speech following comments made by Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, according to Pride Toronto.
The non-profit 2SLGBTQ+ organization released a statement this afternoon calling out the official opposition leader for inciting hate against trans folk and the wider queer community.
“Over the last couple of days we have seen a huge increase in hate speech directed towards the trans community. Our official leader of the opposition Mr.Poilievre made some comments that were very disheartening and directed hate towards the community,” Executive Director for Pride Toronto Kojo Modeste said in a video released Wednesday.
Modeste says there has also been an increase in suicides and the need for mental health services in the trans community.
The reaction follows comments Poilievre made last week saying transgender women should not be allowed to use female labelled bathrooms.
During a news conference, Poilievre said, “female spaces should be exclusively for females, not for biological males…obviously female sports, female change-rooms and female bathrooms are for females, not biological males.”
Poilievre has since received criticism for his remarks and how they impact the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the official opposition leader during a news conference last week saying picking a fight with trans kids was not leadership.
In his video, Modeste invited Poilievre to a sit down conversation and encouraged all political leaders to educate themselves before they make statements concerning 2SLGBTQ+ individuals.
“You need to understand the impact of your statement and the harm that it is doing to the community,” Modeste said in the video.
Pride Toronto is also calling for educational measures targeting social and cultural biases, misunderstandings and prejudicial attitudes.
Similarly, Amnesty International Canada labelled Poilievre’s comments as “a dangerous distraction.”
“Not only does this shameful rhetoric put trans and gender-diverse people at further risk; it obscures the realities of gender-based violence in Canada,” Elishma Khokhar, gender rights campaigner with Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section, said in a statement.
“Amnesty International Canada wholeheartedly condemns any attempt to scapegoat members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to score political points. We call on all political leaders to end the spread of harmful disinformation.”
Now Toronto reached out to the Conservative Party for comment but did not receive a response in time of publication.
