The New Democratic Party (NDP) of British Columbia (BC) has approved a measure in a unanimous vote that permits children as young as 12 years old to self-identify as a different gender and legally alter their gender marker. The bill was a product of the NDP of British Columbia (BC).
Residents of British Columbia will now be able to change their legal sex on their birth certificate and even obtain a birth certificate that does not contain a sex marker thanks to an amendment that was made to Bill 15, also known as the “Vital Statistics Act.” Previously, this amendment required the involvement of a medical practitioner or a mental health professional.
On March 9, NDP Minister for Health Adrian Dixon presented the measure to the British Columbia provincial legislature, which ultimately resulted in its approval on March 28. On Twitter, Grace Lore, who is the Minister of State for Child Care for the New Democratic Party and a former professor of gender studies, made the announcement that the measure had been passed and praised the fact that children may now change their gender at will and on a whim. She made it clear that individuals, and not experts, are the ones who are aware of their gender.
Although this piece of legislation has been met with opposition in Canada, it stands in stark contrast to recent initiatives in other nations that seek to criminalize gender-affirming treatment for children as well as genital mutilation of young people. The quality of the evidence supporting affirmation and medical intervention for kids who identify as the opposite sex has been found to be significantly lacking in England, Sweden, Finland, and Norway, which all carried out systematic evaluations of the research and came to the same conclusion. Some nations have reverted to a psychotherapy strategy that places a greater emphasis on caution in order to better treat the fragile population of young people.
On the other hand, left-leaning mayors, some provincial government units, and the federal government in Canada have all contributed to the proliferation of the promotion of radical gender ideology among children and adults across the country. This summer, for instance, a children’s theater in Vancouver that is supported financially by both the provincial and the federal governments will run a program called “drag queen camp” for children as young as seven years old. Laws in certain towns prohibit holding rallies in opposition to events of this nature, which has led to the arrest and imprisonment of Christian pastors who participated in protests against these types of activities.
A bill has been submitted to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario with the intention of establishing “safe places” for those who identify as two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning within the province of Ontario. In the event that the aforementioned regulation is violated, a fine of up to $25,000 may be imposed. Kristyn Wong-Tam, a member of the New Democratic Party in Ontario, was the principal advocate for the law. She stated that “drag artists have suffered threats and harassment” all around the province over the course of the previous year.
The legislation proposed by Wong-Tam would give the Attorney General of Ontario the authority to designate certain geographic locations within the province as “2SLGBTQI+ Community Safety Zones” for a limited amount of time. According to a press release issued by the Ontario New Democratic Party, anyone who engages in “anti-2SLGBTQI harassment, intimidation, or hate speech” within 100 meters of the designated address may be subject to a provincial fine of up to CA25,000 ($18,524) during the time that a safety zone is in effect.
Overall, the passage of Bill 15 in British Columbia and the introduction of the bill in Ontario demonstrate that the movement toward radical gender ideology and the encouragement of drag performances in the presence of children is gaining popularity in Canada. Both bills target the same issue. As a result, it is critical to maintain vigilance over the situation and continue to push for the protection of the rights of all children and the provision of proper medical treatment for them.
