First, They Came for Trans Youth (Blog)
Introduction
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” – Martin Niemöller.
After World War II, Niemöller openly spoke about his own early complicity in Nazism and his eventual change of heart. His powerful words about guilt and responsibility still resonate today – if a bit different. It serves as a reminder that choosing not to speak up in the face of injustice not only makes you complicit, but also becomes a risk to your own safety and well-being. Very few people are completely “safe”.
One population particularly at risk is children. Throughout history, genocidal movements have specifically targeted children. The vulnerability of children in cases of atrocity crimes makes them the perfect target for the enemy – including as a means of breaking the spirit and morale of whole communities unable to grasp the barbarism of the crimes. Additionally, those committing a genocide often believe that by destroying the population of children (and thus, the “future” of the targeted group), they will be able to fully “cleanse” their country of the so-called “evil”. This is exemplified in the targeting of Indigenous children through residential schools in Canada, and the mass killings of children in both the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide. Now, many activists have already identified that there is an epidemic of violence being perpetuated against the trans community – including naming it as a genocide.
“First, they came for the trans youth, attacking their right to transition, to be affirmed, to use the bathroom, to play sports, and to be safe. Then, they came for the schools, banning them from teaching youth about the diversity of gender and sexuality, or holding safe spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. Then, they came for the parents who dared to love and accept their child; the doctors, social workers, and other professionals who supported the child’s mental health; and the trans and allied adults who affirmed the youth in their full beauty. They targeted human rights, one’s ability to change their name to match who they are, and one’s right to marry the one they loved. They forced genital examinations and hormone tests, now not just targeting trans individuals, but cisgender women who dared to be “too” masculine. They continued to take away rights to bodily autonomy, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and right to life. And the white cisheteropatriarchy won’t stop; not until we’ve all been forcefully eradicated.” – Sydney Brouillard-Coyle
The United States Targets Transgender Youth
In the United States, there are currently over 500 legislative bills targeting the trans and queer community – and over half of the states are labelled as high risk for anti-trans laws. Of this legislation, 28% of these bills attack gender affirming care (primarily for youth), 10% target the ability for transgender athletes to compete in sports (the majority being in elementary and secondary schools), and 5% ban transgender individuals from using a bathroom that corresponds with their gender. Within a school context, 15% of the bills focus on banning books and curriculum that is 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive, and at least 2% of the bills force teachers to “out” a queer or trans child to their parents. There are also bills (7%) that ban drag performances, many of which target kid-friendly events such as Drag Storytime.
Some bills even target those who are supporters of trans youth – both schools and parents. Legislation such as “Don’t Say Gay” has left teachers afraid to mention anything about gender and sexuality, even in casual conversations – this has been equated to a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” environment. Parents of trans children have been forced to consider leaving states with harmful legislation, with some parents even becoming targets of child abuse claims for affirming their transgender children.
Now, for those in Canada, it can be pretty easy to look at that and say: “Wow! That’s horrible! But that would never happen here.” Except – it already is.
In Canada: Schools Boards A Battleground for Trans Rights
In October 2022, Ontario saw municipal elections across the province with a new twist – dozens of candidates running on promises to roll back protections for transgender students. Similarly, British Columbia’s school board elections saw nearly 30 candidates running under the banner of “ParentsVoice BC”, a group opposed to inclusive sex education. Such candidates have utilized transphobic rhetoric, portraying gender-inclusive sex education as an attempt to indoctrinate their children, while many also sought to have books with gender-inclusive messages removed from schools.
The majority of candidates were unsuccessful in obtaining office. However, school boards, libraries, and classrooms have been chosen as a major battleground for trans rights.
In Alberta, a United Conservative Party candidate compared transgender children to feces and declared that sex education should be banned from schools (September 2022).
In Brandon, Manitoba, a delegation to the school board meeting called for the removal of resources and books that related to sexual education and gender inclusivity (May 2023).
In Ottawa, Ontario, a parent challenged the school board’s policy allowing transgender students to use whichever bathroom made them the most comfortable (March 2023).
In York, Ontario, parents disrupted a school board meeting to oppose safe space stickers used by some teachers to signal acceptance to LGBTQ children (March 2023).
The Waterloo Region District School Board issued a statement (January 2023) discussing how they support and protect the physical and emotional safety of all students, why it is important to create safe spaces for transgender students, and how books are selected for school libraries. This was likely issued in response to controversies.
In Quebec, the Conservative Party leader has launched a petition demanding that public funds should not be used to promote drag queen story hours, and that parents must give specific consent (April 2023).
In New Brunswick, the Premier announced his intention to “review” the policy on the inclusion of 2SLGBTQI students, families, and staff in school districts and public schools. They are considering rolling back young people’s right to use a chosen name and pronouns without parental consent, whether or not trans youth can participate in sports, and the “appropriateness” of the sexual education curriculum.
Prince Edward Island issued gender identity guidelines discussing the importance of inclusive dress codes, reducing gender-segregated spaces, providing safe access to washrooms, and preventing bullying. There is now a petition by parents being circulated calling on the government to drop such guidelines (February 2023).
In almost every province, schools and school boards have become a battleground for the rights, safety, and dignity of trans youth. This is often based on the guise of “protecting parental rights” to decide what the child is learning. However, this fails to a) recognize the inherent rights of transgender children and their parents; b) recognize the inherent rights of transgender parents and their children; and c) isn’t actually about parental rights, but is instead about transphobia.
Protecting Trans Kids
The genocidal nature of the attacks on transgender individuals (particularly children) in the United States is discussed more in-depth in this blog post, so instead, let’s shine a spotlight on Canada. In Canada, far-right individuals are using schools and boards to attack transgender children in four primary ways. Let’s take a moment to explore these methods.
Forced Outing
“Outing” is when someone discloses the sexuality or gender of an LGBTQ+ person without their consent. Outing creates issues of privacy, choice, and harm. Outing is a harmful act that can traumatize the person being outed. It can also lead to someone experiencing violence or putting them in dangerous situations.
Many parents try to claim that they have a “right” to know if their child is LGBTQ+ – for example, if a child joins a GSA, or requests that teachers refer to them using a different name and/or pronouns. This is why some parents and other individuals have attempted to introduce legislation or motions relating to these issues.
However, a parent does not have the inherent right to know about a child’s identity. Fundamentally, LGBTQ+ people should be the ones to decide if they come out, when to come out, who to come out to, and how to come out. And the safety of LGBTQ+ people has to come first, which can be severely compromised if a child is outed.
A survey found that fewer than 40% of LGBTQ youth stated that their home to be affirming, while up to 40% of people struggling with homelessness in Canada are LGBTQ youth. Family violence and rejection are associated with serious physical and mental health outcomes among youth, including post-traumatic stress disorder, increased risk of suicide, anxiety, depression and substance use. Many LGBTQ+ youth are forced to stay “in the closet” in order to protect their physical and emotional safety – forced outing not only violates their right to privacy and confidentiality, but can also place them in danger.
Right to Use Bathrooms & Play Sports
The right for transgender youth to use a bathroom that corresponds with their gender (whether that is a gender-neutral bathroom or not), and the right of transgender youth to compete in sports are two fiercely debated topics. Usually, this is promoted under the guise of “protecting [cisgender] women” – but this doesn’t actually protect women – it endangers them, and further contributes to the victimization of transgender people.
In terms of bathrooms, transgender youth are actually more at risk than cisgender/heterosexual youth to experience sexual assault (25-36%) and physical and/or emotional violence (56%). This meant that over 45% of trans youth avoided using bathrooms due to feeling unsafe or uncomfortable. This can lead to significant health complications including UTIs. Thus, all data suggests that transgender youth are the ones at risk of violence – not the perpetrators.
In regards to sports, people try to claim that trans girls should not be allowed to play because they have a “biological advantage” over cisgender girls. This is blatantly false – as all research suggests that trans women who have undergone testosterone suppression have no clear biological advantages over cisgender women. Additionally, people aren’t targeting professional-level sports: they are targeting children’s sports. There are no significant biological differences that impact sports in children, and research shows that there are no differences in circulating testosterone before children are aged 12 and 13. Research aside, most kids are playing sports because they are fun. They shouldn’t have to have their bodies examined to play sports.
Gender & Sexuality in Curriculum & Books
The majority of arguments at a school board level are in regard to the inclusion of gender and sexual diversity in school curriculum and/or library books. There are those who claim that this inclusion is “pornographic”, that it is “grooming children”, or “indoctrinating” them into “becoming LGBTQ”.
Each of these claims are blatantly false. No school board would approve a curriculum or book that actually included pornography. And children cannot be “groomed” or “indoctrinated” into becoming LGBTQ – for the same reasons that an LGBTQ person cannot “become” straight (which is why conversion therapy was recently outlawed in Canada). These are buzz words used to promote an agenda of hatred and transphobia.
The controversial books often attacked might feature a family with two moms or two dads, characters who question their gender or sexuality, characters who experience coming out, or may emphasize the importance of celebrating all people in their diversity. This representation is vital – for LGBTQ+ youth in seeing themselves represented and existing in the fictional world – and for non-LGBTQ+ youth so that they can have a better understanding (and acceptance) of what it means to be LGBTQ+. Having LGBTQ+ inclusive literature and curriculum for students helps increase their feeling of belonging and self-worth, provides meaningful messages of acceptance, and helps individuals connect with a wider community.
Importance of Safe Spaces in Schools
The fourth area under attack is the promotion of safe spaces in schools – whether that’s through pride flags, safe space stickers, or the creation of GSAs. Some far-right individuals believe that schools flying the rainbow pride flag or posting stickers that declare themselves as a “safe space” are methods of indoctrination. Others see the existence of GSAs as problematic. However, each of these are vital for queer and trans youth.
GSAs are peer support groups that seek to foster safe, caring, and inclusive spaces for all students. These help to foster a sense of belonging in one’s school. They also help to improve the overall climate: research shows that students in schools with GSAs were less likely to hear anti-LGBTQ remarks in schools. GSAs serve as both an important educational opportunity and a safe space for youth that can even save lives.
This is due to the fact that LGBTQ youth who have access to affirming spaces (at home and at school) and who are affirmed in their gender report lower rates of attempting suicide. Even a simple act of displaying a “safe space” sticker or flying a pride flag can be an important sign of affirmation, safety, and belonging.
Reflecting on the Effects
In the face of such harmful attacks on trans youth, it is important to consider the effects that this has on both individuals and the community.
The Trevor Project is an American organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth. They conduct annual surveys on mental health and suicidal ideation. In the 2023 survey, they found that:
Nearly 1 in 3 LGBTQ young people said their mental health was poor most of the time or always due to anti-LGBTQ policies and legislation.
Nearly 2 in 3 LGBTQ young people said that hearing about potential laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ people at school made their mental health worse.
75% of LGBTQ youth say that both anti-LGBTQ hate crimes and threats of violence against LGBTQ spaces often give them stress or anxiety.
The proposed legislation in the United States, and the fights occurring in Canadian school boards have a negative impact on mental health for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. Regardless of whether or not the motions and legislation pass, the mere introduction of this creates community harm and trauma – in a community that is already vulnerable to mental health challenges.
A recent study by the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that transgender youth are five times more likely to think about suicide than their cisgender peers. They are also 7.6 times more likely to attempt suicide.
These statistics clearly illustrate how the targeting of transgender youth is not just a matter of human rights and dignity – it is also a matter of life and death. Transgender youth are some of the most vulnerable individuals, and deserve love, safety, and support.
Conclusion
Trans youth deserve protection. Trans rights are human rights. Trans lives matter.
It is the responsibility for everyone to stand up to these attacks on trans youth. There is no such thing as neutrality in situations of injustice. To protect both the present and future, everyone must call out these acts of violence and discrimination, and intervene to protect trans youth safety.
“First, they came for trans youth. But, I intervened and stopped before it could escalate further, because all young people deserve a safe, supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.”
