Gender identity committee: LGBTQ2S+ community slams Quebec for leaving them out of report

Quebec is coming under fire from the LGBTQ2S+ community, which says it couldn't review a see a report on gender identity before its public release.

Quebec is coming under fire from the LGBTQ2S+ community, which says it was not able to review a report on gender identity before its public release — against government promises.

The report, made public Friday, notes the committee members are “not specialists” in the field of gender identity and “that this is not the reason why we have been entrusted with this mandate” but consulted over 200 people.

The 292-page document goes over policies related to gender identity in Quebec, including in health care, shelters, schools, sports and prisons.

It mainly suggests further study and consultation among trans or gender non-conforming people and experts on contentious issues.

The committee recommends the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) and Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) should evaluate gender-affirming care.

It notes trans people must have better access to health care, especially outside major city centres.

The report also suggests adding separate gender-neutral bathrooms in schools, giving financial support to shelters for victims of violence that have adapted services for trans people, and support mixed sports programs.

It maintains Quebec’s current rules allowing incarcerated people to choose a facility that matches their identity unless barring major security concerns.

Diane Lavallée, one of three committee members, said she wanted to present a “nuanced” report on a “delicate issue” that would guarantee “privacy, security, and balance.”

“Trans and non-binary people are deeply vulnerable ... and face many obstacles throughout their lives such as isolation, intimidation and discrimination,” she said.

The consultations aimed to protect the rights of gender and sexual minorities while hearing “legitimate concerns” from “other groups” like parents and women. Lavallée added it has been difficult to have “healthy and open debates” on “such a polarizing issue.”

“In Quebec there is a will for inclusion and respect of gender-diverse people, it’s in the Civil Code, Charter and various public policy,” Lavallée said. “Paradoxically, there is a rise in intolerance and violence ... Looking south of the border, we understand the concerns of the community. Rights are precious, fragile, hard to obtain and easy to lose.”

Backlash from LGBTQ2S+ groups

But the Conseil québécois LGBT (CQ-LGBT), which represents around 80 community organizations in the province, says it has been wary of the committee since it was first announced in December 2023, as it did not include members of the community.

It was created to “help ease social tension” at a time when groups opposed to teaching gender identity in schools and pro-LGBTQ2S+ groups clashed in hostile demonstrations.

The three-member committee, led by Family Minister Suzanne Roy, includes Lavallée — who is the former president of the Fédération Interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec (FIQ) and the Conseil du statut de la femme — Dr. Jean-Bernard Trudeau and human rights lawyer Patrick Taillon.

Despite its opposition, the CQ-LGBT agreed to contribute “in a constructive spirit” and was promised it could see the report before it was published, which never happened.

“We hope that no other vulnerable group will have to go through what our communities have been experiencing,” said Executive Director Magali Boudon in a news release. “It is unthinkable to have a committee of men ruling on abortion. At a time when LGBTQ+ people are seeing their rights rolled back across the globe, the government has prolonged the anxiety and violence of this process until the very last minute.”

At first glance, the report relies “more on persistent stereotypes than on scientific data and the expertise of community groups, which are clear and consistent” on issues like the inclusion of trans women in sports, prisons, toilets, changing rooms and emergency shelters, said the CQ-LGBT.

Victoria Legault participated in consultations with Aide aux trans du Quebec (ATQ).

Though Lavallée stressed she was grateful to have heard diverse perspectives, Legault said she wasn’t sure whether the committee was really listening or just being polite. After their presentation, there was no other contact with the committee, she added.

“It is kind of shameful for a trans person, trans professionals, to go explain their realities to a committee of non experts on the topic of their existence,” she said.

Legault also pointed out the report barely makes reference to trans men, and said it paints trans women “as a threat,” especially in sports, bathrooms, and prisons.

“I think [it] is very problematic, because trans women are the ones who are living the the most violence in the community,” she said.

Protest at National Assembly

A handful of protesters gathered in Quebec City Friday morning to denounce the government for excluding them from discussions on their rights, dignity and living conditions.

They said they wanted to be allowed into the news conference reserved for journalists.

“Women’s rights groups can’t meet the government either. Civil society groups are completely cut off from decision-making processes at the government level. We know who has access to the government … we’re in a plutocracy,” activist Judith Lefebvre told Noovo Info. “We have no choice but to keep showing up to make ourselves heard because we don’t have access to our elected officials.”

Lefebvre said the community wants a public audience on the issue rather than discussions held behind closed doors.

The advocates say they worry the report could open the door to future discriminatory legislation.

The protesters were removed, and the news events were pushed back.

With files from Noovo Info and CTV News Montreal’s Maria Sarrouh.