Alberta NDP gov't will make discrimination against transgender people illegal

mentalfloss

mentalfloss

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Jun 28, 2010
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Alberta NDP gov't will make discrimination against transgender people illegal

The Alberta government has unveiled a bill to prohibit discrimination against transgender people.

Bill 7 would amend the Alberta Human Rights Act to make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. The bill was Introduced Thursday by Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley.

"These proposed changes will ensure trans and gender variant Albertans are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve," said Ganley.

"No Albertan should be denied basic services for being true to themselves."

Mickey Wilson, executive director of the Pride Centre of Edmonton, said it was a great day for human rights in Alberta.

Wilson said he went to Ottawa 10 years ago to try and push for adding gender identity and expression to the Canadian Human Rights Act. It still hasn't happened.

'We are people too'

"In all of my dreams, I never, ever imagined that the Alberta Human Rights Act would be amended first," he said.

Calgary transgender rights activist Aria Ehren said she and other transgender people are feeling much more optimistic because of the proposed legislation.

"There's an overwhelming feeling at times that our existence is an inconvenient fact that the world would rather not face," Ehren said. "And we often see this in the treatment that we receive, where we have been discriminated against, mistreated, shut out, denied, ostracized, fired, threatened."

Ehren said having gender identity in the human rights act will help save lives and make it clear that trans people belong in Alberta.

Alberta NDP gov't will make discrimination against transgender people illegal - Edmonton - CBC News
 
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AnnaG

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What a goofy idea. Why not just make it illegal for anyone to discriminate against anyone for anything biological be it transgendering, left-handedness, being short, being fat or skinny, hetero, gay, etc.?
 
Corduroy

Corduroy

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There's no logical reason to be against this, but people will try to stretch whatever argument they can do hide their bigotry.
 
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AnnaG

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And others will stretch logic to support the idea.
Anyways, I still think it is goofy to make a specific discrimination illegal like that. Just make irrational discrimination illegal and have done with it.
 
mentalfloss

mentalfloss

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Why don't we just make a massive slippery slope and get it over with.

Just get it over with.
 
Corduroy

Corduroy

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AnnaG said:
And others will stretch logic to support the idea.
Anyways, I still think it is goofy to make a specific discrimination illegal like that. Just make irrational discrimination illegal and have done with it.
Click to expand...

Define irrational.



Well.. don't waste your time actually doing that, because that's exactly what the courts will have to do if specific kinds of discrimination are taken out of the law. This will lead to people disagreeing over what's rational and what's not, cases going to higher courts of appeal and then the supreme court and a decision over what's rational will have to be made for every case. Instead, if we spell it out, case are resolved quickly and the instances of ambiguity are reduced.
 
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Colpy

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mentalfloss said:
Alberta NDP gov't will make discrimination against transgender people illegal

The Alberta government has unveiled a bill to prohibit discrimination against transgender people.

Bill 7 would amend the Alberta Human Rights Act to make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. The bill was Introduced Thursday by Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley.

"These proposed changes will ensure trans and gender variant Albertans are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve," said Ganley.

"No Albertan should be denied basic services for being true to themselves."

Mickey Wilson, executive director of the Pride Centre of Edmonton, said it was a great day for human rights in Alberta.

Wilson said he went to Ottawa 10 years ago to try and push for adding gender identity and expression to the Canadian Human Rights Act. It still hasn't happened.

'We are people too'

"In all of my dreams, I never, ever imagined that the Alberta Human Rights Act would be amended first," he said.

Calgary transgender rights activist Aria Ehren said she and other transgender people are feeling much more optimistic because of the proposed legislation.

"There's an overwhelming feeling at times that our existence is an inconvenient fact that the world would rather not face," Ehren said. "And we often see this in the treatment that we receive, where we have been discriminated against, mistreated, shut out, denied, ostracized, fired, threatened."

Ehren said having gender identity in the human rights act will help save lives and make it clear that trans people belong in Alberta.

Alberta NDP gov't will make discrimination against transgender people illegal - Edmonton - CBC News
Click to expand...

So....now in Alberta if somebody is running around in period gear claiming to be Napolean, you have to provide him with an entourage of Marshalls and help him invade Egypt?

This is getting to be a very weird country.
 
mentalfloss

mentalfloss

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Jun 28, 2010
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We ultimately decide what should or shouldn't be discriminatory.

The courts tend to be a reflection of the people in this case which is why all those social progressive issues are only really taking hold recently.


You see, the booming curmudgeons are finally starting to die off at an alarming rate and the next of kin are shaping the legislation.
 
Corduroy

Corduroy

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mentalfloss said:
Why don't we just make a massive slippery slope and get it over with.

Just get it over with.
Click to expand...

Canadians love a slippery slope.



Colpy said:
So....now in Alberta if somebody is running around in period gear claiming to be Napolean, you have to provide him with an entourage of Marshalls and help him invade Egypt?
Click to expand...

Nope, you're gonna have to stay in that closet a little longer.
 
damngrumpy

damngrumpy

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Mar 16, 2005
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I do agree with Anna G make it illegal to discriminate against people in turn that is sad.
Think we are in 2015 and that is an issue we don't move down the road of human
history very quickly.
Then there is the silly statement if you can't fix the economy do this. Well the current
government didn't create the mess they are trying to deal with and they are primarily using
the Tory budget that wouldn't fix it either. I hope they are working to diversify the economy
that is how to fix it. Oil is one product and a commodity that fluctuates right now in a down
cycle. Alberta in the past didn't attract other industry to the Province because reaping oil
profits was easy. Other provinces NDP Liberal and Conservative looked to diversification
years ago If the current government is working on that they are fixing the economy if not
they are making the same mistake as those who went before
 
IdRatherBeSkiing

IdRatherBeSkiing

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Colpy said:
So....now in Alberta if somebody is running around in period gear claiming to be Napolean, you have to provide him with an entourage of Marshalls and help him invade Egypt?

This is getting to be a very weird country.
Click to expand...

Why Egypt? How about the Cayman Islands?
 
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