As Pride season begins across the province, CUPE Ontario is taking time to celebrate our victories and recommit to sustained solidarity and activism with the 2SLGBTQI+ communities. We’re recommitting because there’s undeniably much more work to do.
We still need full access to gender-affirming care. The cuts made by the Ford Conservatives to trans health and community services have made prolonged wait times for referrals and trans affirming care and surgeries the rule rather than the exception.
Even in 2022, all too often, queer and trans people, CUPE Ontario members included, are still subject to discrimination, harassment, and bullying in our workplaces, schools, and communities.
And the Premier of our province is still the very one who attempted to extend degree-granting status to the Canada Christian College and its transphobic, homophobic and xenophobic leader, Charles McVety.
Any one of these is unacceptable in the enduring harm it inflicts on people. But today let’s remember that part of the remedy to this harm is the power of people to resist with pride.
CUPE Ontario’s Pink Triangle Committee has loudly raised its voice in favour of gender-affirming care, and in opposition to discrimination wherever it rears its ugly head. We also joined the chorus of those against McVety’s Canada Christian College until the plans to legitimize it were prevented.
This year, for the first time since COVID-19, CUPE Ontario members across the province will take part in events and marches celebrating Pride and the spirit of resistance.
In solidarity with the 2SLGBTQI+ community, and with our leaders, activists and members who identify as queer and trans, CUPE Ontario will be at each of these events, looking back at the struggles we’ve overcome, building power to resist and fight back and to move forward together, with pride.
