Trans Rights, Trans Justice: A Conversation About Key Trans Legal Issues in Canada

In: Canadian journal of women and the law: Revue juridique "La femme et le droit", Band 34, Heft 2, S. 354-380

Abstract

In November 2021, this virtual roundtable discussion brought together three activist-scholars to examine current trans legal issues in Canada and reflect on a broader vision for trans justice. The conversation's starting points were the recent Superior Court of Québec's decision in Centre for Gender Advocacy v Attorney General of Quebec, which found that Québec law about identification papers discriminated against trans and non-binary people, and the provincial government's shocking response in proposing regressive and harmful legal changes. The panelists contextualized these legal twists by discussing the recurring patterns of trans rights victories being followed by anti-trans backlash; the gaps between legal reforms and their implementation; the law's promises for, and limits in, effecting social change; and the vital role that community expertise can and must play in (re)defining the future of trans justice.