Trans and non-binary people are facing a rise in hate against them, marked by the growing spread of far-right discourse. From the United States, where Donald Trump has signed numerous transphobic decrees, to Canada and Quebec, where tolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community is receding, the socio-political context can be anxiety-inducing for those concerned. La Converse met two of them to talk about this new reality.
Keffieh around his neck and purple-tinted glasses on his nose, Iriniel was busy behind the counter at Café Aquin. The 22-year-old student wanted to meet with us in this queer and feminist space to discuss rising anti-LGBTQ+ backlash. Having arrived in Montreal last year to study, Iriniel grew up in Sherbrooke and was born in Madagascar. Pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work, they work at Café Aquin and are involved with the QueerUQAM organization. Seeing us arrive, Iriniel invited us to sit down and wait for the rush to finish.
A few minutes later, they joined our table, looking quite serious. They cross their hands on the table, revealing the coloured varnish on their nails. To the question “How are you doing right now? ”, the student gives a small laugh before answering: “Not very well honestly.” Being non-binary, Iriniel is worried about the rise of the extreme right and transphobic discourses, both in the United States and Europe, and in Canada. “It's the mix of all this that is very anxiety-provoking,” they tell us.
Even if Iriniel considers Quebec and UQAM to be “fairly safe" environments, her mental health is still affected by this questioning of the rights of trans and non-binary people. “When I am alone at home and on social media, the anxiety comes quickly.” Their commitment to activism and their studies in social work expose them even more to the difficulties that marginalized people experience. “It is especially the feeling of powerlessness that is unpleasant, to say to yourself: 'What can I do as just one person?'”, they continue.
Living with intolerance on a daily basis
A few days later, we met Lanzz, the coordinator of the LGBTQ+ Family Coalition. He welcomes us with a warm smile to the organization's offices. Dressed in a bright red sweater and wearing gold jewelry, he stands out in front of the neutral and white walls of the locals. Originally from Martinique, Lanzz settled in Montreal about 20 years ago. He now has a girlfriend, two children, and a job he loves. After offering us slippers, he sat down in the meeting room, placing the notes prepared for our exchange in front of him.
When we ask him about his general condition, the enthusiasm of the first few minutes disappears and gives way to a gloomy face. With a sad smile on his face, the 40-year-old tells us that it is a difficult time for gender-diverse people, as well as for racialized communities. Lanzz is genderfluid, and gender is masculine as well as feminine. Like Iriniel, he evokes a “rise of the extreme right and ideas from other times”, which endanger his existence as well as that of his loved ones.
On a daily basis, Lanzz thus faces people who refuse his identity and who try to place him within a defined framework, for example by maintaining that he is a tomboy, “which is false”, he specifies. As a result, he avoids talking about his identity so as not to “have to justify [himself] all the time.”
He has sometimes had to deal with aggressive behaviour, especially since he had a mastectomy to better feel like his gender. At the spa, Lanzz is regularly stared at by customers who comment on his appearance “with disgust” right in front of him, “hoping [he] doesn't go in the girls' locker room.” When he is with the family, he is sometimes vehemently called out by strangers when his children call him “mom.” In public toilets, he has already been physically expelled by users.
Lanzz says that everything is getting worse. “There is such violent discourse against gender affirmation; people's eyes are becoming more and more uninhibited,” he says, his voice full of emotion. “Before, people used to watch for a moment. Now they're staring at you.” He says he's not mad at these people, but regrets that moments with his loved ones were ruined.
The Trump threat
When asked about the situation in the United States, Lanzz jokes: “Can we move on to the next question? ” He regains his seriousness at the mention of the re-election of Donald Trump, and the “completely stupid decrees that he signed one after the other”. A few days after being sworn in, the new president passed a series of executive orders against trans and non-binary people. These texts end public support for gender transition treatments for minors, revoke gender X passports or still ban “transgender ideology” in the military.
Even before worrying about him, Lanzz thinks about young people and the consequences that this discourse will have on their mental health. “I'm afraid that at some point, we'll hear less and less from trans and non-binary young people. Not because there will be no more, but because the fear will be too great,” he said in a slightly trembling voice.
Even though Iriniel followed the American election closely, he was surprised at the speed with which Trump implemented some of the transphobic promises of his campaign. “It's scary,” said the student with a mixture of misunderstanding and concern.
A rise in hate in Canada
If the situation in the United States worries the queer communityrom here, it's because the political borders with Canada are porous. Some politicians are already adopting the American president's rhetoric, such as conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who said he only recognized two genders. In Quebec, the Parti Québécois (PQ) recently abstained from voting on a motion against homophobia.
Beyond politicians, part of the Canadian population is increasingly hostile to LGBTQ+ communities. The latest report from the Groupe de Recherche et d'Intervention Sociale de Montréal (GRIS-Montréal) reports an increase in the “discomfort” of young people with sexual diversity in Quebec. For the first time in 30 years, the organization has observed a decline in young people's tolerance for sexual minorities. Nearly 40% of respondents say they feel uncomfortable about the sexual orientation of a gay friend in 2023-2024, compared to nearly 17% in 2021-2022.
Lanzz wonders about these results. “Are we in a 'malaise' or are we really deeply hated? ” He quotes, with support from a report, a 13-year-old respondent who declares that she finds homosexual and bisexual people “disgusting”, comparing them to “animals.” For her part, Iriniel is worried that these young people will soon be old enough to vote.
Other events worry Lanzz and Iriniel. The two refer in particular to the transphobic demonstrations organized over the past two years in Montreal and in several cities in Canada, the success of masculinist discourse and the political debates around mixed toilets. In this context, following the news is not easy, says Iriniel: “It has a big impact on mood, on the motivation to continue living and to claim one's rights.”
Inordinate attention
With a sigh, Lanzz notes the striking contrast between the rise in discourse hostile to gender diversity and the size of the population targeted by this hate speech. According to Statistics Canada, trans and non-binary people represented 0.33% of the Canadian population in 2021. “Before, we didn't talk about trans and non-binary people, and yet there have always been,” he notes.
If this community receives so much media and political attention, it is because it challenges the norms established by society, Lanzz analyzes. Trans women are asked, “How dare you become a woman in this society? You are a man, you are losing all your privileges,” he said. And to trans men, we say that they “will never be real men.”
Iriniel regrets that the population only hears about trans and non-binary people through the prism of transphobic measures. “Most people are going to have a negative opinion [of the trans community] without knowing anything about it,” said the student.
Transphobia coupled with racism
While gender minorities are becoming political and societal targets, so are other marginalized communities. Stigma is thus increased tenfold if “you find yourself at the intersection” of several minority identities, underlines Lanzz, who has the impression that racism is becoming more and more uninhibited.
According to him, transphobia and racism are motivated by the rise of the same discourse, namely those of the extreme right and of masculinism. “It can become complicated to be an LGBT and BIPOC family, because there is a rise in global hate,” he notes. During some of the assaults he experienced, Lanzz sought to understand whether the main reason was his gender identity or his skin colour. Iriniel also doesn't know how to describe the “a bit xenophobic, a bit transphobic” remarks they received while working in a customer service department.
The energy of despair
Iriniel and Lanzz are taken aback when we ask them what would be desirable for their well-being during this troubled time. After a few seconds of reflection, Iriniel says: “It would be very utopian, but if a week could just go by without too much bad news, that would be good.” Busy with their studies, their work and their activist activities, the student seems overwhelmed by the mental load imposed by the political context. For his part, Lanzz would like for people “to leave queer, trans an non-binary people alone, let them use the space, because they are full people.”
Even if both consider their wishes to be somewhat utopian, the student and the coordinator do not want to be overwhelmed by the current. “We will continue to go out, to be who we are,” says Lanzz, full of determination. "I am going to say loud and clear that I am a person who has the right to exist.” Despite their concern, Iriniel adds that their will is still there, and that they are even greater in the face of the challenges that are imposed on their community. “At the stage where we are, we risk losing, but by trying to do something, we risk winning too,” says the student, who concedes, however, that it's “maybe a bit of the energy of despair.”
Iriniel will thus continue to be involved in their queer student organization, to volunteer, to sign petitions, to encourage artists, to denounce discriminatory remarks and to keep up to date. As for Lanzz, he will continue to be visible, to be proud of his family, to support LGBTQ+ parents through his organization, and to claim that he has a right to exist.
For others, whether they are part of the LGBTQ+ community or not, Iriniel encourages them to “reach out to those who are less privileged to try to understand their reality and then to develop solidarity together.” Lanzz recalls that “respecting the person in front of you is fundamental”, before concluding: “My utopia is there, but I refuse to believe that it is so utopian.”