LGBTQ

Krystle Wilpert stands in front of the outdoor skating rink on the lagoon at Bowness Park in Calgary on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Colette Derworiz

Parents weigh in on if kids need consent to change names or pronouns at school

Canadian parents have mixed feelings on what rights their children have without their say-so

 

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have long faced discrimination and prejudice in Canada and beyond, having to fight for job protection, access to services and basic human rights. Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages Minister Randy Boissonnault and Labour and Seniors Minister Seamus O’Regan shake hands with labour leaders after making an announcement in the Foyer of the House of Commons, in Ottawa, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

‘Silence is not a solution’: LGBTQ+ parliamentarians reflect on year

2023 saw heated debate around what is taught in schools, what rights gender non-conforming children have

 

Cleo Philp stands in front of Paparazzi Nightclub, which she describes as the “best-case study” of a spot that used to be branded as a queer space. (Ella Matte/News Staff)

Greater Victoria’s lack of LGBTQ+ nightlife spaces ‘unfortunate,’ says student

UVic student wishes the city had more LGBTQ+ advertised safe spaces

 

While some are welcoming the Vatican’s declaration on blessings for same-gender couples as a sign of progress, other Canadian Catholics see the document as cementing the church’s existing position: that romantic relationships between people of the same gender are lesser than those of their heterosexual counterparts. Pope Francis delivers a speech during his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Andrew Medichini

Vatican same-sex blessing not the blessing some were looking for

‘A blow’: Some LGBTQ+ Catholics disappointed in pope’s statement on blessing couples

While some are welcoming the Vatican’s declaration on blessings for same-gender couples as a sign of progress, other Canadian Catholics see the document as cementing the church’s existing position: that romantic relationships between people of the same gender are lesser than those of their heterosexual counterparts. Pope Francis delivers a speech during his weekly general audience in the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Andrew Medichini
Freida Whales reading at Drag Story Time on Jan. 28, 2023. (Jacqueline Gelineau/Capital News)

Kelowna drag queen praises Ontario court ruling over ‘groomer’ 2SLGBTQIA+ slur

A recent decision states that calling drag performers a ‘groomer’ is not protected as free speech

Freida Whales reading at Drag Story Time on Jan. 28, 2023. (Jacqueline Gelineau/Capital News)
People hold pride flags while attending a rally against the Saskatchewan government’s legislation on pronouns in schools, in front of Saskatchewan legislature in Regina, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Behind Saskatchewan’s pronoun debate: 18 letters, “thousands” of parents

Acccess to information reveals letters, education minister says feedback came from many more sources

People hold pride flags while attending a rally against the Saskatchewan government’s legislation on pronouns in schools, in front of Saskatchewan legislature in Regina, on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
Author Ruby Remenda Swanson is pictured in Edmonton on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. Remenda Swanson says she never thought her hometown high school would be the only place to bar her from sharing her family’s story. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Hometown high school rejects Saskatchewan author’s bid to talk about gay son

‘A Family Outing’ discusses what it was like when Ruby Remenda Swanson’s teen son came out

Author Ruby Remenda Swanson is pictured in Edmonton on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. Remenda Swanson says she never thought her hometown high school would be the only place to bar her from sharing her family’s story. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Members of Queer Shred Revelstoke. (Ryan Collins/VIMFF)

B.C. film examines queer identities affected by small mountain town life

People Like Us is set to premiere in Revelstoke tonight

Members of Queer Shred Revelstoke. (Ryan Collins/VIMFF)
An Ottawa Senators player warms-up with rainbow-coloured hockey tape prior to taking on the Vancouver Canucks in NHL hockey action in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Rainbow tape OK in the NHL again as league rescinds social cause ban

League says players will have option to represent social causes with stick tape throughout season

An Ottawa Senators player warms-up with rainbow-coloured hockey tape prior to taking on the Vancouver Canucks in NHL hockey action in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
An anti-SOGI education march and rally was held in Nanaimo on Saturday, Oct. 21, with protesters outnumbered by a counter-protest. (Greg Sakaki/News Bulletin)

Nanaimo’s LGBTQ community and allies louder than SOGI misinformation

Counter-protesters outnumber protesters at march and rally opposing SOGI education

An anti-SOGI education march and rally was held in Nanaimo on Saturday, Oct. 21, with protesters outnumbered by a counter-protest. (Greg Sakaki/News Bulletin)
FILE - Florida Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon (34) warms up while celebrating Pride Night with a colorful hockey stick before playing the Toronto Maple Leafs, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Sunrise, Fla. The NHL sent a memo to teams last week clarifying what players could and could not do as part of theme nights this season, including Pride celebrations that had become a hot-button issue in hockey. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Oct. 10, that the league sent the updated memo to teams.(AP Photo/Michael Laughlin, File)

NHL bans players using Pride tape on the ice

New restriction part of updated set of rules on theme nights

FILE - Florida Panthers goaltender Alex Lyon (34) warms up while celebrating Pride Night with a colorful hockey stick before playing the Toronto Maple Leafs, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Sunrise, Fla. The NHL sent a memo to teams last week clarifying what players could and could not do as part of theme nights this season, including Pride celebrations that had become a hot-button issue in hockey. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Oct. 10, that the league sent the updated memo to teams.(AP Photo/Michael Laughlin, File)
The Saskatchewan Legislative Building at Wascana Centre in Regina, Saturday, May 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor

Saskatchewan MLAs prepare for fight over pronouns, Charter rights

Government says parental consent should be required for children to change names, pronouns at school

The Saskatchewan Legislative Building at Wascana Centre in Regina, Saturday, May 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Taylor
A person holds a sign during a pride rally in Saskatoon on Thursday, June 1, 2023. A Saskatchewan judge has granted an injunction over a government policy that requires parental consent when children under 16 want to go by different names and pronouns at school. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Pronoun injunction has Saskatchewan reaching for notwithstanding clause

Judge pauses policy requiring parental consent for kids to go by different names, pronouns at school

A person holds a sign during a pride rally in Saskatoon on Thursday, June 1, 2023. A Saskatchewan judge has granted an injunction over a government policy that requires parental consent when children under 16 want to go by different names and pronouns at school. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
People hold signs during a demonstration on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Protests and counter-protests for and against Canada’s trans and LGBTQ community are being planned across Canada on Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Conservative MPs told not to comment on ongoing gender policy clashes

Members of Pierre Poilievre’s caucus warned not to speak publicly about the issue

People hold signs during a demonstration on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Protests and counter-protests for and against Canada’s trans and LGBTQ community are being planned across Canada on Wednesday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Police stand between protesters opposed to gender diversity in schools, right, and counter-protesters advocating for trans rights, left, in Halifax on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Protests and counter-protests for and against Canada’s trans and 2SLGBTQIA+ community were planned across Canada by “1MillionMarch4Children” who are against so-called “gender ideology” being taught in schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Gender identity policies spark rallies and counter-rallies across Canada

Crowds gather to yell and chant at each other about the way schools instruct sexuality

Police stand between protesters opposed to gender diversity in schools, right, and counter-protesters advocating for trans rights, left, in Halifax on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. Protests and counter-protests for and against Canada’s trans and 2SLGBTQIA+ community were planned across Canada by “1MillionMarch4Children” who are against so-called “gender ideology” being taught in schools. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
Protesters and counter-protesters fill Maffeo Sutton Park’s Lions Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 20. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)

Nanaimo shows acceptance and allyship in drowning out anti-SOGI voices

Counter-protests held at school district administration office and at city hall

Protesters and counter-protesters fill Maffeo Sutton Park’s Lions Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 20. (Chris Bush/News Bulletin)
A new StatCan report links cyberbullying to mental health issues in adolescents. THE NEWS/files

Cyberbullying hurting 1 in 4 Canadian youths: StatCan

Study says youth who have been victimized online have a greater risk of mental health issues

A new StatCan report links cyberbullying to mental health issues in adolescents. THE NEWS/files
Canada is warning members of the LGBTQ+ community that they may face discrimination if they travel to some places in the United States. A Pride flag flies on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 8, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

LGBTQ+ Canadians warned about US travel discrimination

Global Affairs Canada says check relevant state laws before visiting unspecified American regions

Canada is warning members of the LGBTQ+ community that they may face discrimination if they travel to some places in the United States. A Pride flag flies on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 8, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
RCMP say a protest at a drag storytime event for children at a library in the B.C. Interior over the weekend has resulted in one arrest and an investigation into reports of a separate assault at the scene. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police “E” Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Drag storytime kids event at Kamloops library marred by protest, arrest

Police say ‘Anti-Pride’ demonstrators yelled insults, refused to leave

RCMP say a protest at a drag storytime event for children at a library in the B.C. Interior over the weekend has resulted in one arrest and an investigation into reports of a separate assault at the scene. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police “E” Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Roger Thibault, one half of the first same-sex couple married in a civil ceremony in North America, died Friday at the age of 77. Thibault, left, places a wedding band on his husband Theo Wouters during their wedding at the Montreal Courthouse, Thursday, July 18, 2002. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Anthony Peters

Roger Thibault, half of first North American same-sex civil union, dies

Parkinson’s disease claims Thibault — who married partner Theo Wouters in 2002 — at age 77

Roger Thibault, one half of the first same-sex couple married in a civil ceremony in North America, died Friday at the age of 77. Thibault, left, places a wedding band on his husband Theo Wouters during their wedding at the Montreal Courthouse, Thursday, July 18, 2002. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Anthony Peters