It’s been deeply troubling to witness the surge of anti-trans hate movements across the country. Worse, to see self-interested right-wing politicians use the safety of children as tokens in their calculated games.
The safety of kids and the 2SLGBTQI+ community has to be paramount in the face of fear, conspiracy theories, disinformation and hate rallies, like the ones being held across Manitoba today. Now, more than ever, the labour movement needs to reaffirm our commitment to support the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
The Conservative politicians who are using the safety of children as a justification for hate are hypocrites.
In Manitoba – where one in five children live in poverty, where child hunger rates lead the nation, where cuts to classrooms leave kids without the support they need and where emergency rooms families used to rely upon are shuttered – any actions veiled as concern for kids from the Stefanson PCs needs to be rejected outright.
CUPE Manitoba will always reject hate and bigotry in all their forms. Our Union fully supports 2SLGBTQI+ inclusive education, which helps to represent the diversity of families in Manitoba and upholds the rights of children, youth, families, and workers.
As Unionists, “we should neither condone nor tolerate behaviour that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any individual or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment” (CUPE Equality Statement).
Together, we will add our voices and our solidarity by joining peaceful counter-protests throughout Manitoba and Ontario. We will unite as CUPE members to put our Equality Statement into action on September 20th, 2023.
We can use our voices, activism, and allyship to counter misinformation, advocate for safer & inclusive spaces, and condemn the hate housed in the parental rights movement the PC Government is campaigning on.
In Manitoba, and across Canada, many organizations are working hard to educate workers on creating safer communities. Click below to learn more:
- Rainbow Resource Centre: https://rainbowresourcecentre.org
- Momentum Canada: https://www.momentumcanada.net/about
- SERC: https://serc.mb.ca
- Anti-Hate Network: https://www.antihate.ca
- Egale: https://egale.ca/awareness/open-letter-combat-hate/
Let’s work together and commit to condemning hate in our workplaces and communities, together.
Solidarity!