We are queer and trans activists (including queer Muslims) who are united against recent right-wing campaigns against trans and queer young people and against violence and harassment directed against Muslims and people assumed to be Muslim, including the killings in Quebec City and London. We are opposed to inherently racist and transphobic networks like Save Canada, Action4Canada, Veterans4Freedom, Campaign Life Coalition, and the People’s Party of Canada that came to prominence, in the midst of or prior to the “Freedom Convoy” (some of these networks predate the pandemic).
Many of these groups are hostile not only to trans and queer people but to Islam and people they assume are Muslim—some of these groups have actively promoted Islamophobia. They are using their current alliances with more conservative Muslims only because this strengthens their hand against trans and queer defenders. Later, as we’ve seen with all Christian Nationalist and fascist groups, they will turn to exclude and oppress Muslims again.
We are fully in support of queer Muslims and their participation in all our communities. We support the statement “UPHOLDING HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL,” (https://openletter.earth/upholding-human-rights-for-all-866419a2) signed by close to 700 Muslims in Canada, opposing Muslim participation in the right-wing anti-trans campaigns. These anti-trans protests also define young people as the property of their parents denying the autonomy and rights of young people, including that of Muslim young people.
We refuse and vehemently denounce the instances of Islamophobia that have occurred from some trans/queer defenders in several locations across the country. We are committed to doing all we can to stop this kind of response and to oppose Islamophobia in all its forms. Many of us have been involved in defending Muslim people against attacks in the racist and Islamophobic “war on terror;” in support of refugee rights for Muslims; and supporting the Palestinian people against Israeli occupation and apartheid. We continue this fight against racism and colonialism. We will not be distracted by this hatred in our collective efforts towards our freedoms and we invite you to do the same.
Solidarity against right-wing attacks on trans and queer young people and against all forms of Islamophobia!
Signed by:
Organizations:
No Pride in Policing Coalition.
CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) Ontario
Defund 604 Network
Feminist Media Studio
Independent Jewish Voices
New Brunswick Media Co-op
Mutual Aid Katarotwi Kingston
OPIRG Kingston
Queer Arabs Halifax
Queer Ontario
Showing Up for Racial Justice – Toronto
Students for Queer Liberation
Trans Bisexual Lesbian Gay Asexual at York (TBLGAY)
Za’atar Collective (Kingston).
Individuals:
Idil Abdillahi
Razan AISalah
F.S.E. Arps
Beverly Bain
Sophia Banks
Gwen Bartleman & Joanne Bealy, for Confronting Anti-Black Racism, Nova Scotia
Patrick Barnholden
Eris Blackburn
Kylie Brooks
Arthur Burrows
Matteo Cerilli
Dolores Chew, Faculty, Marianopolis College
Desmond Cole
Javier Davila
Sydney Derosi
Farzana Doctor, Author and Psychotherapist
OmiSoore Dryden, James R. Johnston (JRJ) Chair in Black Canadian Studies
Xan Dagenais, International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group.
Susan Gapka, Trans Lobby Group
Patrizia Gentile
Sue Goldstein
John Greyson, Video/film artist.
Fred Hahn, President, CUPE Ontario.
Leonard Halladay
Tom Hooper
Hedley Howes
Loretta Howard, University of Toronto
Rachel Jobson
Alessandra Jodhan
Christopher Karas, Karas Legal Services, P.C.
Punam Khosla
Samantha King
Liane Khoury
Gary Kinsman
Natalie Kouri-Towe.
Graeme Lamb
Sabine Lebel
Suzanne Lenon
Jamie Magnusson
Steven Maynard
Lance T. McCready, University of Toronto
Laura Moberly
Nick Mulé
Nancy Nicol
Karen Pearlston
Jocelyn Piercey
Jake Pine
Indigo Poirier
Sabra Rezai
River Rossi
Cyni S.
Madalena Santos
Amy Smoke, Co-Director Willow River Centre
O:se Kenhionhata:tie Land Back Camp
Robert Teixeira
Ian Tian
Daniel Tirade
Alexis Shotwell
Chris Vance
Ardath Whynacht
Benedicte Wigget
Anna Willats
A.J. Withers
Sarah Marie Elizabeth Worthman
Cynthia Wright
· Institutions listed for identification purposes only.
For more information or to add your support contact Gary Kinsman at gkinsman@laurentian.ca