Our Statement Denouncing Bill 2

Want to read the full statement not as an image? Just scroll down to the bottom of the page!

To our members, allies, and community,

Project 10 wants to be clear that we unequivocally oppose and denounce bill n°2 which has been proposed by the current CAQ government by Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.

As a non-profit organization that focuses specifically on supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, we are incensed by this proposed bill. Not only will bill n°2 have the effect of coercing trans and non-binary people to undergo permanent, sterilizing surgeries to be allowed access to a change of their gender marker, but this one avenue of recourse for trans and non-binary people is not available to youth under the age of 18. This affront to the well-being of young trans, non-binary, and intersex communities will have devastating impacts on their mental health, and will inevitably expose youth who are already vulnerable to increased and intensified levels of harassment and violence. In fact, bill n°2 infringes on chapter 1.1, section 10 of the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms as it actively limits how trans, non-binary, and intersex people are able to present themselves legally and socially.

Our proximity to trans, non-binary, and intersex youth puts Project 10 in a position to be acutely aware of how this bill will have a particularly devastating impact on minors. Given that gender reassignment surgeries are only available for people over the age of 18, this restriction will ultimately put youth in harm's way, exposing them to violence that could otherwise have been avoided if they were not forcibly outed by the proposed gender identity marker that would present a deviation from their sex marker. Transitioning is a particularly challenging process for young people, and this bill exacerbates these difficulties by withholding the only way to have one’s gender identity fully recognized behind surgical processes which youth cannot access. Notwithstanding the fact that many trans, non-binary, and intersex people do not desire to undergo certain medical interventions, bill n°2 forces sterilization onto our communities as the only option to have our gender identity legally affirmed.

Additionally, the bill goes against the work of healthcare professionals to create comprehensive, affirming, and self-directed care outcomes for transgender and non-binary people to determine their own trajectory for their transition. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care provide ample insight into the harms caused when institutional barriers are placed on one’s ability to decide what they want to do with their body. The absence of choice puts our community, especially youth, into a rigid and enforced idea of what it means to be transgender, non-binary, and intersex. Outdated and uninformed narratives represented by bill n°2 erase and minimize decades of work put into understanding the best practices for supporting our navigation of the healthcare system, and place limits on our right to choose our own health outcomes. Indeed, France, a country with whom Quebec holds strong relational ties with, has already decided to outlaw the transphobic practice of requiring forced sterilization of both transgender adults and minors years ago.

It is clear to us at Project 10 that this proposed law was drafted without consideration for the calamitous consequences it will impose on youth who are members of the transgender, non-binary, and intersex community. Forcing the disclosure of one’s non-cisgender identity leaves transgender, non-binary, and intersex individuals unprotected from harm and cruelty motivated by ignorance and hatred. Moreover, this deplorable bill will inevitably fuel further antagonism against gender identity minorities, aggravating their ostracization and marginalization from Quebec society and complicating the community’s ability to remain resilient.

We are dedicated to supporting transgender and non-binary youth through their journeys and this provides us with an intimate understanding of how crucially vital it is for people to be able to access a change in their gender marker. Everyday we witness first-hand the life changing impacts a gender marker change can have, and equally so, we are painfully aware of the destructive consequences associated when there are incongruences between someone’s gender identity and their legal documents. The importance of empowering our province’s young population and bestowing upon them the agency to choose cannot be understated. It is paramount that Quebec be working to improve the social well-being of transgender, non-binary, and intersex people living in our province, not make life more difficult.

Fundamentally, Project 10 understands it to be of the greatest importance that the lives of transgender, non-binary, and intersex youth be protected and shielded from discrimination and violence. Bill n°2 in its current form promises to do the opposite.

In solidarity,
Project 10