Every year, March 8 marks International Women's Rights Day. This day pays tribute to the rebels of the past, whose audacity made it possible to offer a more just world to those of today. Many continue the struggle, refusing to rely on the rights acquired by their predecessors. Claire Duclos, a lawyer who recently graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Montreal, is among these fighters.
Being trans: between shame and pride
Sitting at a coffee table for nearly two hours, Claire lists the inequalities that she, as well as many trans women, face on a daily basis. She tells how, at a very young age, she felt that her body did not belong to her. By elementary school, female roles in plays had become a refuge for her identity, and quickly, a synonym for shame caused by the incomprehensible gaze of her peers. Faced with these reactions, Claire locked herself in a pernicious cycle. To be a normal person, a “good person”, he had to suppress his discomfort, his pain, his self-loathing, and fit into the mold of biological sex.
She followed this recipe to the letter until she arrived at university, at the expense of her mental health. Depression and suicidal thoughts surfaced. It was when she entered university that she came to terms with her identity. “Arriving at high school, I discovered new people and a welcoming community. By being confronted with other perspectives, I started to accept myself, to free myself from shame,” she explains, a hint of pride in her voice. While Claire feels welcomed by the LGBTQ+ community, she cannot say the same for some feminist groups in Quebec. She feels that women in her community are not always welcome in these circles.
For the rights of women in Quebec, she is one of those feminist groups that she points to. “This type of organization is not new, but what surprises me is that it is subsidized by the CAQ government,” she says with a big sigh.
Interventions at the Salon Bleu
As its name suggests, Pour les droits des femmes du Québec (PDF Québec) aims to defend the rights of women in the province. A quick look at its website reveals that it is a feminist group: it states that members fight to promote gender equality, unite women across differences, and combat hate speech and violence against women. The organization has 500 to 600 members from all walks of life who advocate for universalist feminism.
In particular, the group defends Bill 21, which is considered “essential to achieve gender equality”. But let's go back a bit, to 2020 more precisely, when the CAQ government wants to table a bill to protect certain people against gender conversion therapies. As part of the study of this legislative initiative, PDF Québec presents A memoir to the National Assembly. In it, its members suggest that these treatments could be considered non-affirming gender therapies that should not be criminalized by law. This is at least one of the readings that can be made from the list of recommendations found at the beginning of the organization's brief.
PDF Québec's interventions at the National Assembly did not stop there. One of its committees, the Gender Identity Reflection Group (GRIG), came forward during the drafting of Bill 2, aimed at reforming family law. In November 2021, this bill aroused the outrage of the trans community, in particular because of the obligation to undergo sex reassignment surgery before any change in the mention of gender on official documents. However, the GRIG argues that the mention of sex should not be allowed to be changed, regardless of whether there was surgery or not. “This could encourage people to use them” [to these operations], writes the committee in The memoir which he submitted to the government in December 2021.
Since 2019, PDF Québec has received annual funding from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity “in support of [its] global mission.” The organization thus pocketed $119,553 during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. Diane Guilbault, president of PDF Québec at the time, confided in an interview with Duty that it was “financial assistance to help [its members] pursue [their] projects.” This funding was renewed in 2020 ($123,545), and the budget announced last March calls for $124,780 to be paid to the organization during this year.
The fatigue of fighting to be a woman
“The actions of Pour les Droits des Femmes du Québec demonize trans people in the eyes of society,” said Céleste Trianon, a trans activist and spokesperson for the Center for Combating Gender Oppression. The activist believes that women in her community would not be welcome in this organization. Céleste Trianon believes that these women tend to hide their transphobic ideas under a veil of feminist arguments. For example, members of PDF Québec signed a few open letters published by La Presse And Le Devoir in which they portray trans people negatively. In the letter” Assimilate gender and sex? Everyone is concerned ”, they warn young girls who decide to express their trans-identity and denounce “the pressures on young people to adhere to the theory that they could be 'born in the wrong body'”. According to Céleste Trianon, who cites Studies, this discourse can harm the mental health of trans people by spreading misinformation and stereotypes about this community. “Growing up with gender dysphoria is already extremely alienating.
We can do without the judgment of society, the insults and the daily violence that add to our mental burden.” At the age of 17, Céleste Trianon participated in the lawsuit against the Attorney General of Quebec in order to facilitate legal procedures for the change of name and gender for Quebecers. Bill 2, written by Simon Jolin-Barrette, was intended to respond to her requests, but “the government obviously did not understand the demands of trans people,” the spokesperson is outraged. Today, she says she is exhausted from having to constantly defend her rights, which she does not have the luxury of taking for granted. “When the government presented Bill 2, I had to go back to work to draft her rights, which she does not have the luxury of taking for granted.” When the government introduced Bill 2, I had to go back to work to write A 47 page memoir explaining that it was the most transphobic bill in the country's history.” On this occasion, the activist spent more than 30 hours a week researching and writing this document, in addition to studying. “I would like to be able to enjoy life and my rights in the way cis people can afford, without being constantly on the defensive when a new bill is announced,” adds the activist.
The anger of trans women
Claire Duclos' funding is causing a mixture of incomprehension and concern for Claire Duclos. “I don't understand how a transphobic organization like PDF Québec can receive annual grants from a government that claims to listen to the trans community,” she declares in an annoyed tone. “Does that mean that the CAQ endorses PDF Québec's positions? ” asks the lawyer.
“I am angry, I am angry, I am... all the words that describe rage,” cries Céleste Trianon. “I send money to the government, I pay my taxes and I refuse to have my money end up in the pockets of an organization whose objective is to restrict my rights! ” she adds. On behalf of their community, these women are launching a cry from the heart: they demand that the government immediately stop using public funds to finance PDF Québec. In addition to their voices, there is that of Liberal MP Jennifer Maccarone. Ms. Maccarone, who is the spokesperson for LGBTQ+ issues in the Liberal caucus, also finds this funding “unacceptable and unjustifiable.” “In the House, I asked that the government justify this funding, but I did not get any response from it,” she denounces.In response to her concerns, the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Solidarity maintains that “the mission of the organization is not being put back in place.” question”.
According to this report, PDF Québec meets all the eligibility criteria for the Promotion of Rights component of the Program for Financial Support for Government Policies in Community Action and Volunteer Action. The ministry also expressed “the government's willingness to accept the open expression of diverse viewpoints from collective rights organizations, without being perceived as undesirable and without interfering with financial support.” The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity did not comment on PDF Québec's positions.
A double speech
“Just last week, the government supported a motion to denounce discrimination based on gender identity,” said co-spokesperson for Québec Solidaire (QS) Manon Massé.
In this motion tabled by his party, the government committed to recognizing “the importance of funding trans community resources, which contribute to the protection of the rights of gender diverse communities.” According to the solidarity deputy, who is also in charge of LGBTQ+ issues in her party, “booties should end up following their chops and this should be reflected in government funding.” She hopes “that the government will take concrete action to support them and fight against any transphobic discourse.” Several organizations that defend the interests of trans people are currently underfunded, including TransEstrie, which may have to close its doors soon.
TransEstrie offers a variety of services to trans people living in regions, where these community centers are rare. On the organization's home page, we read the following message: “Due to lack of resources, we will close our services on April 1.” Thanks to a crowdfunding campaign and financial assistance of $20,000 granted by the ministry of Simon Jolin-Barrette, the organization will be able to continue its activities beyond this date, to the great happiness of the trans community. A total of $35,000 was raised.
Séré Beauchesne Lévesque, founder of TransEstrie, is delighted with this government assistance, which will allow the community center to survive for a few more months. “We will be able to continue to pay for our premises, which also serves as a refuge for trans people in Estrie looking for advice or even a roof over their heads,” says the spokesperson. This money will also allow us to pay for the treatments and name change procedures of our less well-off clientele.” For Séré Beauchesne Lévesque, the financing of PDF Québec is institutional transphobia: “For LGBTQ+ organizations, it is very difficult to obtain funding from the State because the programs in place do not fit into their activities and mission.”
“If the government wants to encourage organizations that really defend the rights of Quebec women, I can advise it on numerous organizations that serve the trans community and that are in desperate need of money, suggests Céleste Trianon. At least I would have a clear conscience knowing that my money is serving my community.”
PDF Quebec had still not responded to our interview requests at the time of publishing these lines.