SASKATOON -- May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.
It’s a day that co-interim director of OUTSaskatoon Jack Saddleback says helps bring more awareness to the public about the difficulties people in the LGBTQ2S+ community still face.
“One of the biggest things we’re seeing on a day to day aspect is within the social discriminations that are happening, and the behaviours that are simply continuing on,” Saddleback said.
Saddleback said the day isn’t just to challenge problems going on in our backyard, but a day to examine things on a large scale.
“In 70-plus countries it is still illegal to participate in same-gendered relationships. Many of these individuals we are now seeing pop up in our own country, who are refugees or newcomers, who are asylum seekers.”
Amanda Guthrie, also co-interim director, said a day like this is a good opportunity to look back and see how far we’ve come in terms of LGBTQ2S+ acceptance, and how far we still need to go.
“We’ve seen legislative changes at the provincial level, with the addition of gender identity into our human rights code. These are all great processes and progress, but there’s always need for more,” Guthrie told CTV News.
In a statement, Mayor Charlie Clark said: “We want to create a community of acceptance, but unfortunately we aren’t there yet. There are still people who are treated differently and looked down upon simply for being who they are.
“To those who are intolerant towards other individuals, know that the world around you is changing. Be more kind to one another and remember what you’ve been taught since you were young, to treat others the way you’d want to be treated.”
He also noted how City Council voted to ban conversion therapy earlier this year.
