New Democrats celebrate historic vote on trans rights

OTTAWA – An historic Private Member’s Bill that would extend explicit human rights protections to transsexual and transgender Canadians passed second reading in the House of Commons yesterday.

“This is an important step towards the full equality of transsexual and transgender people,” said the bill’s sponsor, MP Bill Siksay, NDP Critic for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Transsexual Issues. “This means that the prejudice, discrimination and violence that are an all too real part of the lives of trans people is now an explicit part of the conversation when we speak of human rights in Canada.”

Bill C-389, An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code (Gender Identity and Gender Expression), will add gender identity and gender expression to the Canadian Human Rights Act as prohibited grounds for discrimination. It also amends the hate crimes and sentencing provisions of the Criminal Code.

“Transgender and transsexual Canadians are an important part of our families, our workplaces, and our communities. Their life experience adds to our understanding of our humanity. For too long they have been invisible and denied the ability to participate fully in our society,” stated Siksay.

“Reaching this step in the struggle is a significant victory for trans people and comes about due to the efforts of thousands of Canadians. We’ll celebrate this victory and then begin to prepare for the next stage of the process,” concluded Siksay.

This is the first time that the human rights of transgender and transsexual Canadians have been debated in Parliament. Siksay’s bill will now head to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights for detailed consideration.