Trans Rights Law In BC (or How Much Leeway for Cissexist Hate Groups, Even if they do have Other Activist Cred)
July 14, 2011 - 11:25am
Any news on the trans rights legislation recently introduced in BC? Specifically is it going to have the same carveouts that the woefully named Equality Act did in the UK for cissexist segregation of gendered facilities? Or are they going to pass a law understanding that accepting trans people does mean accepting their identified gender, not kinda accepting their identified gender unless it makes them feel icky?
In essence is it going to be Uruguay or the hiway?
The bill was a private member's bill coming from NDP opposition member Spencer Chandra Herbert. In the last decade of BC Liberal governments in this province, no opposition private member's bill has ever been called back to the Legislature for a second reading. So it's a bit of a moot point - it's simply never going to be voted on unless the House Leader and/or Premier pushes for it.
That does seem like standard NDP practice: Introduce a bill to show symbolic support for trans rights aso they can seem all hip, urban, and progressive, and then let the issue die without having seriously threatened the cissexists in their coalition.
I'll say it again and again, if the right was smart, they'd come out in favour of an aggressive trans rights package that left no room for cissexism in the private sector, profit or non-profit, include full on-demand treatment, and public accomodation access via the Uruguayan model... and watch Michelle Landsberg et al howl. Cut off the haters from the progressive urban professionals who make up much of the less activisty but still voting NDP base, and you can still score points with the right-wingers by engaging in the old right-wing favorite: Feminist baiting.
Not saying that'd be a good thing, mind you... just saying the internal contradictions will grow as the population of transitioners and the prevalence of the issue grows. It's going to be very interesting from a political science perspective to watch, even though, well... I have to live this issue and thus it's maddening.
That does seem like standard NDP practice: Introduce a bill to show symbolic support for trans rights aso they can seem all hip, urban, and progressive, and then let the issue die without having seriously threatened the cissexists in their coalition.
I find this extremely insulting of my friend Bill Siksay. I don't know anything about Spencer's bill but I know for a fact that Bill poured his heat and soul into his bill. Who the fuck are you to dismiss his brave and lonely fight as an attempt to appear hip and urban,
This is clearly trolling.
Sorry, you misread me. Bill I believe to be one of the most genuine anti-cissexist MPs I've ever seen. He knows the issue and cares more about the rights involved than palatability or presentation. But Bill Siskay didn't pull the plug on the bill in exchange for some cheap posturing on a GST on heating oil cut.
I don't think if Bill Siskay was the NDP leader that he wouldn't have done more to get that bill passed. He has an excellent grasp of the importance of civil rights, and he doesn't seem like the kind of MP who goes in for retail politics.
I hope he gets drafted back in to politics.
Please don't accuse me of trolling just because my analysis of a party's crappy record on trans rights stands in such contrast to one exemplary MP's.
Fair enough.
I know both Bill and Spencer. I also know that this was a Bill Siksay initiative not something the NDP asked him to take on. You pissed me off when you not only attributed his work and leadership to the party that betrayed him at every turn while he was in office but you imputed nasty motives to putting the bill forward.
He was also the only MP willing to stand up and vote against criminalizing sex between gay teenagers. That cost him a critic area he loved and got him moved into a corner seat in the House. Courage always requires sacrifice and he had courage. The NDP is happy now with his new replacement who is a policy wonk. The central party doesn't care that the LGBTQ community that adored Bill is extremely wary of his replacement. For some reason he seems to be uncomfortable around people from that community.
I apologize for my trolling comment but frankly I am still trying to recover from losing the best MP that the House has seen in a generation.
I know, I'm seriously disappointed too. Actually, I was attributing the happy sounding noises the NDP makes to their posturing as leadership. They took one of their best MPs and utterly marginalized him, for what? For saying that other forms of sex should not be privileged over anal sex?! This is what I mean about the party pandering to their base... I'm frankly shocked and full of admiration that Bill lasted as long as he did. And I can imagine one of the first reactions to Spencer's bill was either from someone who thinks VRR should have a special carve-out, or someone advancing the bathroom panic meme.
I'm just saying the party as a whole remains cissexist, not that it doesn't have admirable people in its ranks, but they do seem to get forced out in a party that believes in MPs being delegates of their party as opposed to parties that believe in party discipline to a lesser extent. Hedy Fry, who has promised to reintroduce the bill, co-existed in a caucus with 8 Liberals who thought that trans people didn't deserve the right to medical treatment.
So yeah... I'm sad we lost one of the best MPs the house has seen in a generation as well. He was a damn sight better than the person he replaced and we are diminished for having lost him.