I am just back from the trans defender action in Halifax today. With the initiative of trans and queer young people more than 1,000 (likely 1,200) people protested and disrupted the right-wing anti-trans protest of around 800 people. Trans defenders gathered at the Parade grounds on Barrington where the right-wing assembled and at the Provincial Building on Hollis. We chanted: “Trans Rights are Human Rights,” “Defend Trans Kids,” “Trans People Under Attack! What do we do – Act Up, Fight Back!” “Bigots Go Home!” and more. The police acted to block and barricade the trans defenders, trying to push us back and to keep us from going towards the anti-trans right wing on the Parade Grounds. I stayed with the people confronting the right-wing and fascist groups as they formed up. Some of the hundreds of trans supporters at the Provincial Building joined us but many did not leaving those of us on the Parade Grounds being penned in by police on bicycles and in possible danger of police and possibly fascist attack. I felt it was a tactical mistake for more of the hundreds of people at the Provincial Building to not come and join us. When the right-wing moved out on their march the police stopped us from directly following them.
When we did get to march when we got to the Provincial Building the hundreds of people there joined us and we then had a trans defender march of more than 1,000 people. We went back to the Parade Grounds and many of us began to disperse in groups. But then the right-wing arrived back and we chanted our opposition. The right-wing could now not get back into the Parade Grounds. When I left, I felt like most people that it was a very successful action given the general lack of queer/trans organizing in Halifax right now. I hope this success can be built on in forming a strong anti-right wing activist trans and queer liberation network.
A few quick things to point out. The police once again made it clear that they are not on our side. There were there to keep us confined and to defend the right-wing protestors. While at other counter-protests across the ‘country’ unions were very present with their banners and flags this was not there in Halifax. This would have made the counter protest much stronger.
The right-wing was very clear that children are the property of and are owned and controlled by their parents. This is what the right-wing and fascists means by “parental rights” and we need to challenge this pointing out that young people are not the property of their parents. We need to be very clear on defending the autonomy and rights of young people.
Finally, at least a third of the right-wing marchers were of Middle-Eastern background with some being involved in right-wing and ‘fundamentalist’ currents within Islam. We need to never allow our firm opposition to their right-wing politics to become a challenge to them as immigrants and Muslims. Instead, we need to make clear that we are totally opposed to Islamophobia along with transphobia and homophobia. Some of the Christian fascist groups will not work with Muslim groups given their intense hatred of Muslims and this needs to part of the popular education we support in these communities. We need to make very clear that people in the trans and queer communities are actively opposed to Islamophobia, that we support the Palestinian struggle and are opposed to all forms of racism and colonialism.
Thanks to all the organizers and to Venus Envy who provided a safe place and a washroom for those who needed it.
Gary Kinsman, currently living between Hantsport and Avonport in Nova Scotia, is member of the No Pride in Policing Coalition, the Scholar Strike Canada organizing group and author of the 3rd edition of The Regulation of Desire coming out this fall from Concordia University Press.