Survey shows Canadians are divided over gender identities

As more Canadians are faced with the evolving acceptance of gender and sexual identity, a new survey by the Angus Reid Institute sheds light on a divide in Canadian society.

Overall, more than half of Canadians believe a person is either male or female, but one-third of Canadians say that’s “too limiting.”

However, the data shows most parents would be accepting of their child, if they shared wishes to change their gender identity.

“I’ll tell you, It doesn’t feel safe. I feel less safe in my province, in my country today than I ever have. And that terrifies me,” said Marni Panas, Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional.

Panas transitioned in the public eye. She feels fearful for herself and trans youth as they brace for a nation-wide protest Wednesday morning.

The group, who say they are promoting parents rights, have been advocating for elimination the use of a child’s preferred gender pronouns, gender neutral bathrooms, and what they call “gender ideology” from the sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum.

“I think it’s just disturbingly ironic that we have a protest that will be going by schools, and disturbing schools, and bringing a protest by school areas, when children are in these buildings trying to learn, they’re in those buildings where they’re meant to be safe and cared for,” said Jason Schilling, President of the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Pride events have had to increase their security this year- and Alberta RCMP noted an increase in hate-incidents.

“Hate is picking on the people who are the easy targets, and in this case it is trans people. And people can galvanize around rhetoric like protect our children, but spread lies in doing so. And the people who are going to be hurt most by this are the very children and youth that they aim to protect,” said Panas.

2SLGBTQ+ advocates are organizing a counter-protest outside the Alberta Teachers’ Association. In response Edmonton Police say they are aware and will be present to ensure public safety, and mitigate traffic issues.

“While police officers are sworn to uphold the Criminal Code, they are also sworn to uphold the rights of Canadians that are enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. Upholding both sets of laws can be a delicate task, but the EPS always works to ensure that a balance is struck,” said EPS in a statement.

“The EPS takes hate-motivated crimes and incidents seriously, and supports our community’s right to live free from hate. Should offensive symbols appear and/or hate-related incidents take place during an event or protest, police will investigate whether the incident meets the threshold of the hate provisions laid out in the Criminal Code of Canada and will lay charges where appropriate. In these situations, officers will seek legal advice and consult with the EPS Hate Crimes Unit to determine whether charges are possible.”

Edmonton’s Mayor also took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday. Sohi said he is “firmly against any form of discrimination, hatred, or bigotry, and for the safety and well-being of ALL youth.”

Adding, “The protest taking place tomorrow, guised as protecting our children, will actually cause tremendous harm to our 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, their families, and allies.”

???? As Mayor of Edmonton, I stand firmly against any form of discrimination, hatred, or bigotry, and for the safety and well-being of ALL youth.

The protest taking place tomorrow, guised as protecting our children, will actually cause tremendous harm to our 2SLGBTQIA+ youth,…

— Amarjeet Sohi (@AmarjeetSohiYEG) September 19, 2023

In additional tweets Sohi stated, “All Charter-protected rights must be respected and upheld by everyone. As your Mayor, I stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and encourage all Edmontonians to do so too.

“Every person, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves respect, dignity, and the freedom to be who they are.”

Before adding that supports are available to 2SLGBTQ+ members.

“Sometimes it feels like we are taking two steps forward and one steps backwards, but sometimes these protests are really a sign of the progress we have made in Canadian society, that to change the status quo, you have to challenge it,” said Dr. Kristopher Wells, an associate professor with the Canada Research Chair for Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth, MacEwan University

EPS says they take hate-motivated crimes and incidents seriously, and will investigate any incident that takes place during an event or protest.