Sense Project

The story is not over for the trans rights bill, Bill C-389. The Bill was passed in Parliament on February 9th (though barely - 143 to 135!) and now needs to get approved in the Senate.

This bill puts legal protection on the table for transgendered, transsexual and gender non-conforming people. It adds gender identity to the Canadian Human Rights Code. It calls harassment and discrimination against trans people what it is: a hate crime. Essentially, it’s a step toward protection, equality, and human rights for all people - regardless of how they express their gender. 

Last night, I took 15 minutes to contact all of the Quebec senators to tell them that I care about this Bill, and encouraged them to vote for it. It felt gooood. Frankly, the Conservative-dominated Senate is not the happiest place for this Bill to go, so I want to show that we’re watching and listening.

If you want to show your support too, Egale Canada has a list of all the senators’ contact info and also a handy template email that you can use to make your statement. They include a myth-buster document about the Bill, too, to address some of the stereotypes and falsities emanating from the House of Commons (e.g.: “This Bill will encourage sexual predators to lurk in girls bathrooms!”) 

Head & Hands is proud to work closely with so many trans-identified youth throughout Montreal and support them in their health needs. But transphobia is widespread and real - so we have our work cut out for us. Solidaritay, all the way! 

For more information, check out the campaign on Facebook and this recent story in the Globe and Mail.

The Quebec government is offering reimbursements to those who paid for abortion services between 1999 and 2008:

Following an agreement, the Superior Court of the District of Montréal handed down a decision providing compensation to people who paid to obtain a voluntary interruption of pregnancy between May 2, 1999 and January 13, 2008. All claims for reimbursement must be filed before January 31, 2011. For more information go to http://www.reclamation-ivg.qc.ca/ ”.

Remboursement pour interruption volontaire de grossesse: À la suite d’une entente, la Cour supérieure du district de Montréal a rendu un jugement permettant aux individus qui ont déboursé pour avoir recours à une interruption volontaire de grossesse entre le 2 mai 1999 et le 13 janvier 2008 d’être indemnisées. La période pour faire une réclamation se terminera le 31 janvier 2011. Pour plus de renseignements: http://www.reclamation-ivg.qc.ca/”.

Note that claims must be filed before January 31, 2011.

Great article on the chilling effect of “security” in U.S. schools. It gives a good idea of what happens when adults start viewing youth as potential criminals rather than full members of the community. Thankfully, we haven’t gone too over-the-top with that here in Quebec so far, but we need to stay vigilant to make sure it never becomes like this.

I remember the day they installed the cameras in my high school. Everyone was surprised when we walked and saw them hanging ominously from the ceiling.

Everyone except me: I moved to rural Virginia from the wealthier and more heavily populated region of northern Virginia. Cameras have watched me since middle school. So I wasn’t surprised, just disappointed. “What have we done?” asked one of my friends. It felt like the faculty was punishing us for something. A common justification for cameras is that they make students safer, and make them feel more secure. I can tell you from first hand experience that that argument is bullshit. Columbine had cameras, but they didn’t make the 15 people who died there any safer. Cameras don’t make you feel more secure; they make you feel twitchy and paranoid. Some people say that the only people who don’t like school cameras are the people that have something to hide. But having the cameras is a constant reminder that the school does not trust you and that the school is worried your fellow classmates might go on some sort of killing rampage.

Seen Not Heard @ boingboing.net

It’s official: Spain has declared access to abortion a fundamental women’s right. Women will no longer risk jail for getting an abortion, nor will they have to pretend to suffer from serious mental health issues because of the pregnancy. The Catholic Church is upset about this, and promises to make a fuss.

Link to the article on MSNBC

Strangely enough, abortion is not considered a woman’s right in Canada: it’s been decriminalized and depenalized, but no government so far has dared take a strong stance on saying that it’s perfectly legitimate for women to make the decision to end a pregnancy.

I came across this article today. It is worth checking out for yourself. But, in any case, here are some key points and concerns:

Catholic schools in Yellowknife will not be providing the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination shots to its students. Sandy Lee, minister of health and social services for the Northwest Territories does not agree with this decision and ensures that the shots will still be provided by the ministry.

That being said, many HPV types can lead to a variety of cancers, cervical cancer being the one most commonly associated with this STI. So, while the ministry will still continue to provide the shots, the Catholic School Board has just made it rather difficult for its students to obtain it.

Interestingly, the board does provide other vaccines. So, why not HPV shots? Well, apparently, they want the parents to decide if their child(ren) should get the vaccine or not. Unfortunately for them, though, if they allow other forms of immunization then this argument doesn’t really stand on its feet.

Perhaps an education campaign would have been a better way to go…Who needs more barriers?!