Standing up and speaking out in support of the LGBTQ2S+ community

July 5, 2023

On June 28, 2023, a professor in the Gender Studies and Social Justice department at the University of Waterloo was attacked and stabbed, along with two students, by a 24-year-old former student. The former student has been arrested and charged in what the Waterloo Regional Police Service is calling a “hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity.”

Violent and hateful acts against people of our LGBTQ2S+ communities have no place in this country, still they continue to happen with increasing frequency. According to the latest  from Statistics Canada, there has been a 64% increase in hate crimes against individuals based on their sexual orientation.

This needs to change. Every person has the right to live their lives free from discrimination, violence, and hate. In this province, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is strictly prohibited under The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018. Yet members of the LGBTQ2S+ community remain stigmatized and subjected to discrimination. Last year, nearly 10% of all complaints formalized by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission involved either sexual orientation or gender identity.

At this moment, at a time when the rights and the well-being of so many people are being threatened, it is essential that we work together to stem the rising tide of discrimination and hate against the LGBTQ2S+ community. The burden cannot be theirs to carry alone. We all have a role to play.

We cannot be idle bystanders.

We must speak out against hate and stand with those whose rights and freedoms are under threat.

We must acknowledge that the attack in Waterloo took place during Pride Month – a time to celebrate sexual and gender diversity – and we must continue to promote and diligently protect the inalienable human rights of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

We must also acknowledge that people of all sexual orientations, of all gender identities, races, creeds, and abilities must be respected for who they are. It is our duty as members of the human family to foster understanding and remain committed to building respect for the human rights of others.

When one group’s dignity and equality are threatened, the promise of this nation is threatened. And we all suffer.