A statement in support of trans rights and equality

Ahead of the International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31), we the undersigned unequivocally support and stand for the protection and promotion of the human rights and freedoms of transgender, nonbinary, intersex and Two-Spirit people locally and across the globe.

This includes a right to education, participation in athletic competition, marriage, parenthood, health services, and gender affirming care.

We believe that no one should be persecuted, threatened, silenced, excluded, or discriminated against due to their gender identity or expression.

Trans and gender diverse people and communities continue to face disproportionately high rates of violence and discrimination compared to cis-gendered members of the same populations.

In the US, there is an alarming growth in the number of proposed and ratified laws that restrict the rights of transgender and nonbinary people. In the UK, transgender rights legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament was recently blocked by the British government. In Canada, despite promising legal protections and signs of public acceptance in recent decades, members of transgender and nonbinary communities continue to report signs of transphobic ideology within the nation. While budget cuts contribute to the closure of gender-affirming care clinics in some provinces, other provinces are pausing gender-affirming services altogether – even as surveys show that many transgender and gender nonbinary people have unmet medical needs and statistics show they face significantly higher rates of violence and poor mental health due to discrimination.

We condemn all violence and discrimination that target individuals based on their gender identity or expression. A person’s gender should not be used as a criterion determining their full inclusion in civil society.

All people should enjoy the same right to gender identity and expression. All should be treated equally and with dignity and respect.

Signed,

Annalee Lepp, Dean, Humanities
Lisa Surridge, Associate Dean Academic, Humanities
Alexandra D’Arcy, Associate Dean Research, Humanities
Philip Cox, Communications Officer, Humanities
Simi Kang, Assistant Professor, Gender Studies
Luke Carson, Associate Professor and Chair, English
Theresa Gallant, Director of Administration, Humanities
Sandra P. Kirkham, Instructor and American Sign Language Program Coordinator, Linguistics and Continuing Studies
Alyssa Arbuckle, Co-Director, Electronic Textual Cultures Lab
Catherine Caws, Professor, French and Francophone Studies
Christopher Douglas, Professor, English
Rebecca Gagan, Associate Teaching Professor, English
Katie Croudy-Hollott, Undergraduate Secretary, English
Rachel Brown, Assistant Teaching Professor, Religion Culture & Society
Gabriela McBee, Assistant Teaching Professor, Hispanic & Italian Studies
Sikata Banerjee, Acting Chair and Professor, Gender Studies
Jeff ᎦᏃᎭᎵᏙ Corntassel, Professor, Indigenous Studies
Michael F. Reed, Continuing Sessional Instructor, Medieval Studies Program
Joseph Grossi, Professor, Hispanic and Italian Studies and English
Audrey Yap, Associate Professor, Philosophy
Erin E. Kelly, Associate Professor, English
Rachel Hope Cleves, Professor, History
Thiti Jamkajornkeiat, Assistant Professor, Pacific and Asian Studies
Ewa Czaykowska-Higgins, Professor, Indigenous Education and Humanities
Penny Bryden, Professor and Graduate Advisor, History
Richard Pickard, Assistant Teaching Professor, English
Iain Higgins, Professor, English
Kristin Semmens, Associate Professor, History
Georgia Sitara, Assistant Teaching Professor, History and Gender Studies
Peter Cook, Associate Professor, History
Jason Colby, Professor and Chair, History
Katie Stockdale, Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Sara Humphreys, Assistant Teaching Professor, Academic and Technical Writing Program
Stephen Ross, Professor, English
Elizabeth Vibert, Professor, History
Leslie Saxon, Professor Emeritus, Linguistics
ann-elise lewallen, Faculty Research Fellow, Centre for Global Studies; Associate Professor, Pacific & Asian Studies
Rebecca Halliday, Professional Communication Advisor; Assistant Teaching Professor, English
Lincoln Z. Shlensky, Associate Professor, English
Matt Pollard, Associate Teaching Professor, Germanic and Slavic Studies
Jill Evans, Administrator, Philosophy
Alison Hogan, Undergraduate Assistant, History
Misao Dean, Professor, English
Angie Chau, Assistant Professor, Pacific & Asian Studies
Janelle Jenstad, Professor, English
Sonya Bird, Associate Professor, Linguistics
Sheila Rabillard, Associate Professor, English
Laura Parisi, Associate Professor, Gender Studies
Andrew Murray, Assistant Teaching Professor, English and Academic and Technical Writing Program
Charlotte Schallié, Professor and Chair, Germanic and Slavic Studies
John Archibald, Professor, Linguistics
Mark Nugent, Associate Teaching Professor, Greek and Roman Studies
Kim McLean-Fiander, Assistant Teaching Professor, English
Patrick Rysiew, Professor, Philosophy
Samuel Wong, Associate Professor, English
Nicholas Bradley, Associate professor, English
Chase Joynt, Assistant Professor, Gender Studies
Nancy Wright, Professor, English
Corinne Bancroft, Assistant Professor, English
Peter Dietsch, Professor, Philosophy
Dailyn Ramirez, Assistant to the Chair, English
Chris Goto-Jones, Professor, Philosophy
Alejandro G. Sinner, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Advisor, Greek and Roman Studies
Consuela Covrig, Administrative Officer, History
Erin Ellerbeck, Associate Professor, English
Jentery Sayers, Associate Professor, English
Marc Lapprand, Professor, Acting Chair, French
Suzanne Urbanczyk, Associate Professor, Linguistics
Richard Fox, Professor and Chair, Pacific and Asian Studies
Lynne Marks, Professor, History
Elena Pnevmonidou, Director, European Studies; Associate Professor, Germanic and Slavic Studies
Silvia Colás Cardona, Chair and Teaching Professor, Hispanic and Italian Studies>br />Anne Hung, Assistant to the Chair, Germanic and Slavic Studies
Lydia Toorenburgh, Indigenous Resurgence Coordinator, Tri-Faculty
waaseyaa'sin Christine Sy, Associate Professor, Gender Studies
Colin Macleod, Professor, Philosophy and Law
Helga Thorson, Associate Professor, Germanic and Slavic Studies
Emmanuelle Guenette, Graduate Secretary, Linguistics
Patrick Szpak, Programmer and Consultant, Humanities Computing and Media Centre
Pablo Restrepo Gautier, Associate Professor, Hispanic and Italian Studies
Jason Collins, Assistant Teaching Professor, Academic and Technical Writing Program
Hélène Cazes, Professor, French and Francophone Studies
Shamma Boyarin, Assistant Professor, English and Religion Culture and Society
Mary Elizabeth Leighton, Professor, English
John Lutz, Professor, History
Martha McGinnis, Chair, Linguistics
Dan Russek, Professor, Hispanic and Italian Studies
Sara Harvey, Associate Professor, French and Francophones Studies
Megan Lukaniec, Assistant Professor, Indigenous Studies
Cindy Holder, Professor, Philosophy
Pierre-Luc Landry, Assistant Professor, Department of French and Francophone Studies
Sujin Lee, Assistant Professor, Pacific and Asian Studies
Serhy Yekelchyk, Professor, Germanic & Slavic Studies and History
Martin Holmes, Programmer/Analyst, Humanities Computing and Media Centre
Matthew Koch, Continuing Sessional Lecturer, History
Emile Fromet de Rosnay, Assistant Professor, French and Francophone Studies
Jennifer Sauter, Project Manager, Germanic and Slavic Studies