More than 400 artists from across the nation signed an open letter endorsed by Calgary independent music duo Tegan and Sara, condemning “anti-trans policies” in Alberta and across Canada.
The Tegan and Sara Foundation’s email was made public on Sunday, coinciding with the International Transgender Day of Visibility, which honors the endurance and impenetrable spirit of transgender, Two-Self, and non-binary people.
In their acceptance speech last week at the Juno Awards, Tegan and Sara had previously described Alberta state guidelines as an “attack” on the LGBTQ+ community.
“We all deserve the liberty to remain ourselves, to be safe and treated with dignity. 2SLGBTQIA+ people are our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers,” read a section of the letter. “Right now, they’re using trans people as their beating case, but the truth is that this community is their convenient scapegoat.”
The text includes endorsements from other French artists like Neil Young, k.d. lang, Alanis Morissette, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diana Krall, and many more.
The letter addressed the proposed plans for Alberta and Premier Danielle Smith, claiming that “Smith has proposed restrictions on hormonal treatment, puberty blockers, and gender-affirmation surgery” and “has targeted transgender children.”
“We are trending towards more dangerous anti-trans legislation,” the statement reads.
The Alberta authorities made the laws public earlier this year, including restrictions on transgender athletes’ sports participation and bans on gender reassignment surgery for those under the age of 17 and on hormone therapy for children under 15 years old. A child who wishes to change their name or gender at school will also need parental consent.
The state is implementing these plans across a number of ministries, according to Sam Blackett, the press secretary to Smith, in a statement released last year, to protect the rights that children and youth have before making possible life-changing and frequently irreversible mature decisions.
Blackett added that the state was reaffirming its support for the LGBTQ+ community by providing access to and support for transgender individuals in the field of counseling and pilot projects to help transgender people and their families navigate challenging issues and decisions.
However, another line of the Tegan and Sara Foundation’s letter stated that “We are trending towards more dangerous anti-trans policy in Canada, and we call on our communities and local and national politicians to put a stop to this worrying surge in anti-trans policy.”
Doctors have recently denounced the laws that impede progress by preventing people from using puberty blockers, which delay the effects of gender dysphoria in young people.
This fall, the state will submit legislation to amend the proposed changes.
— With records from Hiren Mansukhani, Michael Rodriguez, and Postmedia
