“It is hard to hate someone that you know”
Recently The Pearson Centre’s CEO Pam Damoff held a discussion in partnership with Dr. Hedy Fry, MP Vancouver Centre hosted at QMUNITY in Vancouver. Local organizations and advocates were invited to share stories and ideas, as the start of a broader conversation with The Pearson Centre to provide a platform to dispel mis- and disinformation. While our conversation centred around their advocacy, participants also shared a little bit about their lives outside their advocacy work – as parents, partners and even having trained as a molecular geneticist.
As one participant said, “the only way to build bridges is to cross them” and open lines of communication with everyone.
The hate and mis- and disinformation about the queer and trans community is real. During a recent Status of Women Committee study, the Committee heard from a broad cross-section of witnesses who all expressed concerns about the rise in hate-motivated violence against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community -a 225 per cent increase in police-reported hate crimes targeting sexual orientation; and a 120 per cent increase in hate crimes targeting transgender and non-binary individuals between 2019 and 2023 (note these are crimes that are reported, and most instances are not reported to law enforcement which was also expressed by witnesses). While the study was never tabled in Parliament, staff in MP Pam Damoff’s office compiled a summary of what was heard and it can be read here: fewo-study-march-2025-pdf-676k
An example of disinformation that has spread around the world is that schools are installing litter boxes for students who identify as cats – yes, you read that right (you might have even heard it!) It is a hoax to discredit trans kids. According to Snopes.com, the oldest and largest fact-checking site online, this hoax originated as an urban legend in the 2000’s, but re-surfaced in 2021 in response to anti-trans sentiment. The rumour often starts with “a friend of a friend in [insert any town here] said their school board has gone too far now, and is installing litter boxes for students who identify as cats.” It is 100% not true, and has been disproved repeatedly – however it keeps getting amplified by social media and spread by word-of mouth. How Furries Got Swept Up in Anti-Trans ‘Litter Box’ Rumors | Snopes.com
Our conversation at QMUNITY centred on what are the real world consequences of this rise in hate, that emanates from a small faction of largely far-right, conservative sources. To dispel the mis- and disinformation, and provide stories from the real world, there is a terrific website: We are Allies. This website shares stories from individuals with lived experience, provides credible resources and a full section on misinformation and how to spot it. Check it out here: Home
We also talked about how supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community actually helps everyone – when there are programs that reduce bullying against the queer and trans community in schools, bullying drops for all kids. When programs targeted at homeless queer and trans people are put in place, they actually help homelessness more broadly. When queer and trans seniors can’t find a place to live their authentic lives, it harms all seniors. Access to gender-affirming care and mental health supports allow people to live full and productive lives which benefits everyone, and has a positive Return on Investment. The cost to society is far higher if we are not proactively providing a safe, healthy and inclusive society.
So why aren’t these stories being shared and why is the mis- and disinformation taking hold in mainstream society? Participants largely agreed that many Canadians are feeling out of control, struggling with housing and affordability. It is easy to blame “the other” for these issues, and certain groups and politicians are scapegoating and “othering” the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, in particular the trans community. They shared that this is a canary in the coal mine for broader societal issues.
We talked about culture and the arts- the importance of funding and how it is a great tool to reach not only the queer and trans community, but mainstream society.
Another concern was AI, the lack of regulation and the inability of Canadians to recognize when they are being shown information generated with AI – as one participant said, this is a huge issue in the dissemination of mis and disinformation, and we aren’t even talking about it.
The cost to society is far higher if we are not proactively providing a safe, healthy and inclusive society – a multi-pronged approach including legal, employment, health care (including mental health) – for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. These actions would benefit Canadian society at large, not just the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
The Pearson Centre would like to continue to share stories and dispel mis- and disinformation – watch for more in the coming months.