Disclaimer: Typically, Symmetry follows the Canadian Press Stylebook, which generally does not use the term queer when referring to the LGBTQIA2S+ community. However, the author of this article uses the word queer as a reclaimed and empowering term.
As a recently out queer woman who just attended her first queer-run and focused event, I have only a glimpse into the atmosphere of such spaces. However, I knew going in it would be welcoming and safe for me and my friends, all of whom are also in the LGBTQIA2S+ community. The event was a formal hosted by Dalhousie University’s pride group and seeing so many queer and trans people dressed up with partners and friends, just having a good time, was heartwarming and a little tear jerking.
With queer and trans rights being threatened across the country, now more than ever, it is crucial to support, promote and maintain queer and trans spaces. Although Canada was recently ranked as the fifth safest country for LGBTQIA2S+ people, we are not immune to hatred, homophobia, transphobia and the personal and governmental actions fueled by such negativity.
In the last few years, Canada has seen a regression in queer and trans acceptance and rights, with new policies and laws being put into place. New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgins recently enacted a new policy in the summer of 2023 in which public school teachers and staff are forbidden to use a student’s chosen name and pronouns without parental consent if they are under 16 years of age. In October 2023, Saskatchewan enacted a similar policy. In February 2024, Premier Danielle Smith of Alberta proposed new policies to block minors from receiving gender-affirming care.
Canada’s Security Intelligence Service says these new legislations and the hate-fueled support they are receiving are detrimental to the LGBTQIA2S+ community and violence will almost certainly continue and escalate against the community as these policies continue to gain support. In the summer of 2023, Trudeau warned Canadians of the rise in hatred and anti-queer and trans actions across the country.
Such hatred, ignorance and discrimination are detrimental to queer and trans people. A study published in 2022 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal reports trans adolescents were five times more likely to have suicidal ideations and 7.6 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their cis peers. As well, queer adolescents were 2.5-3.6 times more likely to have suicidal ideations and 2.8-3.3 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to their hetero peers. Another study, published in 2023 by Statistics Canada, reported queer and trans adults were more likely to struggle with their mental health in general.
I have seen people online debate whether spaces and events meant for queer and trans people are discriminatory against cis-hetero people. In a cis-heteronormative society, is it discriminatory to want a safe space that is just for us? Is it wrong that we do not want cis-hetero people in these individual places when many cis-hetero people are the reason why these spaces are needed in the first place? The LGBTQIA2S+ community wanting and needing our safe spaces is not an attack on cis-hetero people. It is not meant as an offense nor an affront to their identity. It is a way for us to stick together, make a stand and protect one another.
Having events and spaces dedicated for queer and trans people is not just a luxury. It is a necessity. We need spaces where we can feel completely welcome, safe and accepted. We need our spaces to show the world we are not going anywhere. We need our spaces because much of the world is still so intent on eliminating them. We need our spaces because we deserve to exist.
Written by: Jennifer Osborne, Symmetry Writer and Editor
