By The Hall Way (Josh Hall)

standing up

Why I joined the Trans and Non-Binary Aid Society

Sep 21, 2019 | 9:30 AM

As a reporter, I’m often asked about how difficult it is to stay “neutral” on certain subjects.

It is indeed hard at times because I am human. I am a citizen of this city, this province and this country, and after all, ‘reporter’ is not a synonym for robot – we do have opinions.

One thing I am unabashedly open about is my support of LGBTQ2S+ rights. And frankly, I don’t care whether anyone gets bent out of shape over it.

Last week, I became a board member of Red Deer’s Trans and Non-Binary Aid Society (TANAS), a non-profit organization committed to standing up for transgender and non-binary individuals.

Does this mean any future stories I write about the transgender community will be biased? I don’t believe so. What it means is that I treat LGBTQ2S+ rights as primarily a human issue, not a political one. Folks across the LGBTQ2S+ spectrum should not have to wake up each morning worrying about what form of discrimination they’re going to face next.

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In an ideal world, people would just treat one another with respect, regardless of their gender identity (or sexual orientation). This is at the heart of my advocacy and support for groups like TANAS and Central Alberta Pride Society. If you think someone being non-binary, gay, lesbian, two-spirited or anything else will negatively impact your life, you’re wrong.

Yet worldwide, people are not only ridiculed for their gender identity, they are killed over it. In the United States, 26 transgender people died from violence just last year, according to HRC.org. This year, there have been 18 so far, including Bee Love Slater, a 23-year-old Florida woman found burned in her vehicle earlier this month.

In our country, Statistics Canada says in 2018, there were 173 instances related to sexual orientation, down from both 2016 and 2017. An August 2019 article on TheConversation.com notes hate crimes reported as related to being transgender are put under the “sex” category by Statistics Canada. It isn’t yet clear if that will change given that ‘gender identity and expression’ were added to the Canadian Human Rights Code and Criminal Code in 2017.

Nonetheless, it is a fact that people around the globe are harmed and killed simply for being transgender, and that isn’t right.

People I know who are transgender or non-binary are as normal as you and I (if you believe in the concept of ‘normal’). They are my friends, acquaintances, family, and they could be the same to you. But you wouldn’t necessarily know it because that person is stuck in the closet due to a portion of society’s desperation to oppress and silence them.

I ask, why? The people I know have enriched my life, and I can credit that to my willingness to not be blindly uncomfortable around them, my readiness to educate myself, and my ability to simply love my fellow human beings for who they are. These people aren’t killing, hurting or, God forbid, trying to negatively influence your children. No… they simply want to live their truth.

That’s not to mention the other issues affecting transgender folks such as the years-long waitlist for gender-affirming surgery, or the hassle of debating which washroom they’re allowed to use.

If you are someone who has prejudices against people who are not only transgender or non-binary, but anywhere on the spectrum, and you’ve read this far, I have one favour to ask of you.

Please ask yourself why you have these prejudices, and if you can really, truly justify the reasons you believe anyone who isn’t ‘normal’ is negatively affecting your life. Ask yourself why you have such an issue with them loving whom they want to love and living the way they want to live. Ask yourself why it’s so hard (for you) to peacefully co-exist.

In the meantime, if you’d like to show support or learn more about this segment of the population, talk to someone with TANAS to find out how.