‘Pushed into the shadows’: Manitoba’s 2SLGBTQ+ community concerned by Trump and anti-trans decisions

Manitoba’s LGBTQ2S+ community is expressing worry over travel to the U.S. during the Trump administration. Danny Halmarson reports.

Members of Manitoba’s 2SLGBTQ+ community are concerned anti-trans rhetoric in the U.S. could spill across the border.

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring the United States will only recognize two sexes – male and female – and that they are unchangeable.

“It saddens me, and it worries me,” Pauline Emerson-Froebe, president of Pembina Valley Pride, told CTV News Winnipeg. “Because it’s scary when you see your peers being pushed back into the closet, and that we’re being pushed into the shadows.”

Emerson-Froebe and her wife moved from the U.S. to southern Manitoba in 2017 after Trump was elected the first time.

“The climate [in the U.S.] has become increasingly hostile towards the queer community, and I think that even more so now,” Emerson-Froebe said. “I think most are just going to steer clear because of the amount of hassle, and the fear of what may or may not happen is just too strong.”

Following the order’s signing, Emerson-Froebe took to social media to assure community members they aren’t alone and urge 2SLGBTQ+ allies to voice their support for trans rights.

“They can take away whatever label they want to put on us, but we’re still not going anywhere.”

Queer community members are worried for their safety if they choose to travel south following the order’s signing.

“This afternoon I was meeting with someone, and she said, ‘I have a trip planned in October. Do I go? I don’t think I’ll be able to go?’” Parker Morran, a social worker at Trans Health Klinic, told CTV News Winnipeg. “What does this mean if people have family there or if people work part-time there?”

Morran said Trans Health Klinic is also receiving calls from people living in the U.S. inquiring about gender-affirming care here in Manitoba.

Morran said there are supports available at Klinic for 2SLGBTQ+ people, including drop-in counselling. They pointed to other community organizations like Rainbow Resource Centre as well.

“I can’t guarantee we are going to be okay. The world’s changing in a lot of ways, but what I can do for somebody is help them work through those feelings and try to support people where they’re at.”