Groups have been lobbying for additional rights on their behalf for decades.
This is normal and understandable.
It is also normal and understandable that the groups that have long been ignored or ridiculed are the most demanding.
Committee
On December 5, Minister Suzanne Roy announced the composition of the Committee of Wise Men to advise the government on gender identity issues.
All three people mentioned are extremely credible.
The transgender fringe of the LGBTQ community protested the absence of a transgender person from the committee.
The difficulty for the government would have been to find a trans person who is not an activist, as the committee's aim is to provide objective advice to the government, not to enforce demands.
“One thing is certain: rolling back the rights of trans and non-binary people is out of the question,” said Minister Roy.
Obviously, and no one asks him anything like that.
But what happens when the demands of 0.3% of the population (2021 census) conflict with the rights of the 52% of women in the general population?
In L'aut'journal (January 5), Michèle Sirois and three other signatories give concrete examples of this shock.
What about the fairness and safety of women in women's sports competitions when we include people who are biologically male but whose gender identity is female?
There are too many cases to call them anecdotes: boxing, rugby, weightlifting, swimming, etc.
Le Devoir recently reported on homeless women's fear of being attacked by men in already mixed shelters.
Should we also allow people who are biologically male but identify as women access to women's shelters?
Since 2017, federal law has allowed a person who identifies as a woman to apply for admission to a women's prison. Several have spread terror there.
In education, the signatories explain, “segregation aims to protect women and girls, who are statistically at greater risk in intimate spaces (toilets, locker rooms) than their male peers.”
Let us also think of the modesty of the young girl who sees her body changing.
Is reserving space for him an exclusion? I do not think so.
Does it also make sense to make school an institution dedicated to facilitating transitions at a young age?
However, this is the case when first name changes are approved without notifying parents.
“While you have to be 21 to buy cannabis, teenagers in Quebec can apply for a mastectomy as young as 16,” they also recall.
wisdom
Recognize rights? Yes, if it is justified after careful consideration, but at the expense of the rights of others? NO.
This committee of wise men formed by the Legault government must demonstrate…wisdom.