An Open Letter for the New Year

The New Year is often seen as an opportunity to start anew. We often make resolutions where we commit (to ourselves and/or others) to continue or create good practices, to change an undesired trait or behaviour, to accomplish a personal goal, or to otherwise improve something about ourselves during the New Year.

Common New Year’s resolutions often involve things about our physical and/or mental health: people may try to eat differently, to exercise, to set boundaries, and similar. While these goals can be good (as long as we are trying to attain them for our own benefit, rather than because society expects us to), I would encourage us to focus on the New Year’s resolutions we can set as a community.

2023 was a challenging year for many people – especially for those in the queer and trans (QT) community. We are continuing to see a wave of unprecedented hate against QT individuals across the world, including here in Canada. Some people have likened this to a genocide against trans individuals; with trans youth being the most at risk. During Pride Month, QT spaces and events were targeted (particularly the pride flag); in the fall, we saw a wave of homophobic and transphobic protests sweep across the country under the so-called “1 Million March for Children” movement; and trans-exclusionary radical feminism continues to cause significant harm for all people. This year’s Transgender Day of Remembrance was particularly difficult, with almost 400 trans individuals reported to have lost their lives due to transphobia. 

Unfortunately, this wave of anti-trans and anti-queer hate does not appear to be letting up. In the United States, over 125 anti-trans bills were filed within the first five days of 2024. We can expect to see similar anti-2SLGBTQ legislation continue here in Canada, particularly in light of the growing movement of conservatives who are seeking to end gender-affirming care and inclusive education for youth. 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations and activists continue to be targeted in increasingly violent ways. This is the reality that we live in. 

However, each of us have the opportunity to make a difference. This is a turning point – where we need active heroes, not passive zeroes. Make a 2024 resolution to engage in the critical work of being an advocate, ally, and an accomplice – lives depend on it. 

Advocate

An advocate is someone who publicly supports or argues for a particular cause. Below are a series of petitions as well as current legal advocacy being done for 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in Canada – learn how you can support by clicking on the links and sharing on social media. 

• Tell the Government of Canada to #Act4QueerSafety – sign the petition.

• Tell Premier Higgs (New Brunswick) to leave trans kids alone – sign the petition. 

• Tell Pierre Poilievre (Conservative Leader) to publicly refuse to legislate transphobia – sign the petition.

• Choose facts over fear – sign the petition.     

• Legal advocacy through Egale Canada 

Ally

An ally is someone who provides support to members of a minoritized group. This is more of an internal and interpersonal process – work that you do within yourself and within your community.

• Educate yourself – remember that it is not the responsibility of queer people to educate you. There are lots of resources out there – use them! Check out my list of resources HERE.

• Attend 2SLGBTQIA+ workshops and programming. For example, Rainbow Allyship provides private training programs for organizations; they also host regular public workshops through Zoom. 

• Check in with queer and trans loved ones – let them know you are there for them, and ask how you can support them. It can be really hard to constantly have to navigate a world that is increasingly violent towards us because of who we are. So show up. 

Accomplice

An accomplice is someone who works to dismantle systems of oppression, power, and domination. Accomplice is a verb – an accomplice is someone who takes action.

• When you see or hear misinformation about the 2SLGBTQIA+ – on social media, in conversations with friends/coworkers, at family dinner – challenge it! Remember that a lot of hate is often based in stereotypes and harmful misinformation. The more that you allow this to “slide”, the more this gets spread, and the more that hate can continue to rise. If you are not part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, it is even more vital for you to step up as an accomplice to counter this.

• Keep an eye out for any right-wing protests or events that might be happening locally, and considering gathering with other accomplices to counter them! This is very important in letting queer and trans folks know that they are loved and they deserve to be safe. Check out the Pride Defenders Guide for more information.

There are so many ways that we can each make resolutions to work for QT safety and liberation. As we enter the new year, let’s all work to be advocates, allies, and accomplices — so that QT folks can celebrate 2024 filled with hope, love, and community.

Want to learn about how to be a more effective advocate, ally, and/or accomplice? Join me for a workshop hosted through Rainbow Allyship.