The Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Canada has expressed deep dismay at the recent attempts in a number of countries, and within Canada as well, to deprive trans and gender-diverse people of their right to legal and political equality and protections.
The latest example is the April 16 ruling by the UK Supreme Court that only so-called “biological” but not trans women meet the legal definition of a woman. While this is presented by some as just a narrow ruling to “clarify” matters, the ruling is the latest and most significant in a wider trend to impose reactionary social policies.
The trajectory of this trend is clear; as Donald Trump stated just a few days earlier, his administration’s aim is to eliminate equality rights for all sections of the 2SLGBTQ+ population in the United States, a strategy which would effectively create second-class status for millions of people. This outlook is promoted by far-right, homophobic, transphobic and misogynist forces in Canada as well.
These direct attacks on the recognition of trans rights as human rights form the tip of the spear in a concerted, determined hate campaign to whip up hostility against 2SLGBTQ+ people, with the goal of dividing working people against our real enemies – the capitalist class and corporate-backed right-wing political movements.
The ideology behind this campaign is utterly false, since there is no scientific basis for the false “binary” view that humanity is composed of two genders visible at birth, nor for the absurd claim that trans people and the 2SLGBTQ+ community in general are somehow “stealing” the rights of others.
Our Party’s position upholds the traditional maxim of the working-class movement – an injury to one is an injury to all. Depriving one group of their social and political rights inevitably undermines the ability to unite in defence of our common interests. For example, in direct practical terms, adoption of the UK Supreme Court model in Canada would give private and religious-based educational institutions a handy tool to adopt regulations giving management far greater abilities to hire and fire on the basis of arbitrary and meaningless criteria, from gender identity ultimately to such measures as marriage status and personal religious belief.
We condemn the rising reactionary attack on the rights of trans people and the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and on the equal rights of women, who live in a capitalist society which is still deeply marked by misogyny and inequality. We call for unity of the labour and people’s movements across Canada to push back against this dangerous trend.
Central Executive Committee, Communist Party of Canada – Communist Party condemns rising attack on trans people – People’s Voice
Photo: ACLU
