Saskatoon’s city council chambers were filled to the brim Wednesday morning as people came to speak on the topic of public changeroom access.
“I do not need a cis man speaking for me, on behalf of me, or over me, especially on International Women’s Day,” said Sarah Smokeyday, who was one of many speakers in opposition to a select few calls to restrict trans people from women’s changerooms.
There has been intolerance and an outcry online after unconfirmed reports of a person with male anatomy in the female changeroom at the Shaw Centre.
Over 300 pages of comments were submitted to the city, a vast majority of which showed support for the trans community and their right to access washrooms or changerooms that align with their gender identity.
Smokeyday said it was disturbing to hear people stereotype and spread misinformation about trans people.
“Statistics from first-hand accounts, police records, and court documents continually have proven time and time again that the danger to women and children is not trans women, or trans men, or non-binary folks. It’s not drag artists, or people pretending to be any of the above.”
She added she was one such survivor.
“I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual violence.”
“This boogeyman scare tactic, someone hiding in an alley or changeroom, has been used regularly throughout the years,” Smokeyday said.
She said women and children won’t find danger in a change room or washroom, but instead in those who are spreading misinformation to try and control and promote fear.
“In this community, I believe it is our duty to ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their gender identity or gender expression,” said Kyle Anderson, another speaker.
“Transgender people are victims of a society hostile to their very existence.”
Anderson said there’s a severe lack of supports for the trans community, noting they are far more likely to suffer from substance abuse, mental health issues, and more likely to attempt suicide.
Anderson added that this is due to a society that looks at trans people as less than human.
He said the challenges trans people face are especially pronounced when trying to access washrooms or change rooms.
“Many will face harassment and violence when attempting to use facilities aligned with their gender identity. This is unacceptable, and it’s our responsibility as a community to ensure that everybody feels safe and welcome in our public spaces.”
“We’re here today because of an unsubstantiated claim, rooted in hate, designed to deprive citizens of their rights. Saskatoon is not unique in this respect,” Anderson added.
He said similar fabricated incidents were found in places like Calgary and Nanaimo as well.
“It’s clear to anyone paying attention that hateful rhetoric is being amplified, and an increase in hate crimes is the inevitable consequence.”
He said action and allyship are needed more than ever.
Anderson called on the city to create a safe zone at public pools and libraries that would prevent hateful protests from being within 100 metres of those facilities.
“Protest is a legal right, harassment and intimidation are not.”
Among those who spoke was a 10-year-old trans-non-binary child who questioned the fear being discussed in the meeting.
“At what point do I go from being someone you protect, to someone who is a threat?” Zipp Neufeld said.
“I deserve to age without fear that the bathroom and change space that allows me to feel safe and at peace will be taken from me.”
Zipp ended by noting that when trans adults thrive, trans kids survive.
“Gender inclusivity, and inclusivity in general, has been historically proven to be safe, much more so than segregation,” Jared Young said.
Young noted that we shouldn’t be entertaining the discussion around access to public washrooms and changerooms for trans people, adding that pushback on inclusive policies is nothing new.
“They always promote the idea that women and children need safeguarding from unfounded threats. We saw this with Black people under segregation with the narrative that they’d assault and rape women if we didn’t keep facilities segregated.”
“We saw this in the prolonged fights to provide access to those with disabilities. We saw this with gay people under a predator-based narrative stronger than ever before. This time they warned of ‘diseased gays’ lurking in bathrooms waiting to pounce on any victim, including children.”
Young said concerns about safety are valid, but warned that extremists are co-opting that concern.
“We need to ensure that as a community we have each other’s safety in mind and are aware of each other’s needs. We need to be ready to protect everyone, especially our most vulnerable.”
Blake Tait, who also spoke at city council, stressed that the current inclusive policy in place is a deterrent to violent crime in public washrooms and change rooms.
“Trans people in Saskatoon deserve the right to access facilities owned and operated by the city. The Saskatchewan and Canadian Human Rights Commission dictate clearly that trans rights are human rights.”
“Transgender people are not criminals and are statistically proven to be a lesser threat than the general population,” Tait added.
Alexander Edmunds said the protests seen outside the Shaw Centre were transphobic.
Edmunds brought up the harassment and threats towards Coun. David Kirton, noting that this was unacceptable.
“I’m saddened to hear that transphobic people have threatened a city council member. The same people have harassed gender-diverse people, including me.”
“I have received two death threats since I have started counter-protesting,” Edmunds claimed.
Edmunds added that the city should condemn the protests at the Shaw Centre, noting that they go against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Brielle Bright said she’s heard stories of male security guards entering ladies’ rooms and stalking trans women while they were in a stall.
“With the backing of available statistics and evidence, trans people categorically do not pose a threat to women and girls in washrooms and change facilities, or anywhere else.”
She said she was the victim of separate instances of both physical and sexual assaults.
“My physical assault happened at the hands of a cisgender man, my sexual assault at the hands of a cisgender woman.”
“I can’t control the reactions people have to me simply existing. I can’t control that there are people fearful of me, not due to my actions or behaviour, but instead due to prejudice,” Bright said.
Many others took to the podium to speak throughout the morning, after which city councillors showed their appreciation for those who came to sit in on the meeting, and those who spoke.
Coun. Hillary Gough said she doesn’t support the harmful rhetoric she’s heard against the trans community.
“This rhetoric puts trans people at risk,” Gough said.
She noted the issues she sees that need to be addressed are fear, misinformation, othering and transphobia.
Mayor Charlie Clark said this is an issue of rights, but also an issue of being the best community we can be.
“Today is a chance for that story, that reality that people face, to come and share that on a public stage.”
He noted that it can be difficult to share those stories, saying this can seem like a vulnerable space.
Clark stressed that he has no intention of moving backwards, or becoming a city that takes steps to become more discriminatory.
A 2018 report highlighted by Statistics Canada called the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) said sexual minorities in Canada are more likely to be violently victimized in their lifetime than heterosexual people.
The report noted that a large number of physical and sexual assaults go unreported for a number of reasons.
It said that if you exclude violence committed by an intimate partner, 59 per cent of sexual minorities have been physically or sexually assaulted since the age of 15.
In comparison, about 37 per cent of heterosexual people reported the same.
Those stats jump when looking at Indigenous sexual minorities. The report says 73 per cent of Indigenous sexual minorities have been physically assaulted and 65 per cent have been sexually assaulted.
A report in 2022 from Canada’s Department of Justice corroborates this data with its own study, “A Qualitative Look at Serious Legal Problems: Trans, Two-Spirit, and Non-Binary People in Canada.”
“We have already demonstrated that trans, Two-Spirit, and non-binary people face wide-ranging forms of adversity, barriers, and harm in many interpersonal and institutional contexts. In fact, every participant in this study described being subjected to violence and abuse. Some reported isolated (but no less severe) incidents of abuse, while others revealed that violence and oppression were common, if not constant, across various spheres of their lives,” the report read.
People in the study reported verbal and psychological harassment and abuse, but also physical violence.
“Participants also reported being subjected to physical violence, which includes isolated, occasional, or sustained incidents such as attacks by strangers, domestic violence, abuse by family members, sexual assault, and violent interactions with persons in positions of authority.”
The study also has quotes from participants describing some of the incidents of violence they experienced.
“They jumped me from behind, they ran up and jumped me from behind and just started punching me in the head. It was one man that came up first, and then I took him on, and the other one jumped in, and both of them started attacking me and punching me,” said one participant, Kiva.
The Government of Canada website says that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
“‘Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration. All people, including LGBTQ2I individuals, are entitled to enjoy the protection provided by international human rights law, which is based on equality and non-discrimination,” the website says.
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