Marriage is not everything: 20 years later, equality 2elgbtqqia+ in construction

Did the legalization of marriage marked a turning point or a cap in Queers struggles in Canada? Twenty years after the legalization of marriage between people of the same sex in Canada, the time is up to the balance sheet.

It is important to celebrate 20 years on July 20, but it is also important to use this visibility to underline the fact that there are still battles to winrecalls the co -chair of the family coalition LGBT+Bianca Nugent.

Whether or not we believe in marriage, it is important that there are no more barriers according to sexual orientation, identity and gender expressionsays Bianca Nugent, who adds thatThere are still access barriers nowadays.

Trans and non-binary in sight

These obstacles are all the more visible for trans and non -binary people who are the frequent target of attacks in the public square. For example, in the United States, Donald Trump has multiplied decrees against transgender people.

This rise in hatred does not take into account the borders, notes Olivia Baker, trainer and specialist in content at the Emergence Foundation. It’s important to say: it’s not just in the United States, it’s also around the world, including Canada.

This animosity towards the trans and non -binary community in the country is palpable, according to the federal minister of women and gender equality, Rechie Valdez, who has held this position for two months.

We are currently witnessing a decline in rights, whether in the United States or even in some of our provinces [au Canada]. We are deeply concerned about the decline in rights, in particular the rights of transgender, which are increasingly threatened.

We are never immune to losing rights

In September 2023, in several cities in the country, tense demonstrations about school guidelines on gender identity had caused heated exchanges between demonstrators and counter-demonstrators.

In Quebec, the government of CAQ had also mandated a wise committee to advise him on these questions, but this initiative had been criticized by organizations and experts.

Ms. Baker draws a parallel between the feeling towards transgender and non -binary people in 2025 and The position in which gay and lesbian people were a few decades ago. For her, History is repeated since The argument is often to protect children, exactly the same arguments that there were in the 1970s.

Organizations that are defending the rights of people from the community are sounding the alarm. We are never immune to losing rightsrecalls the director general of the Quebec Lesbian Network, Cynthia Eysseric.

She is able to see that More and more people even have fear of displaying in publicand this, due to the unprecedented increase in the number of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation in Canada. For example, in 2018, Statistics Canada had 186, but this number was more than quadrupled in the space of five years to reach 860 in 2023.

For her part, Minister Valdez wants to reassure the community by remaining committed to the defense of the rights of people 2ELGBTQQIA+in particular in the face of the rise of hatred that we also see.

Trans rights are also human rights.

The co -chair of the family coalition LGBT+ launches a pole to the allies to support the current struggles, which should not only rest on the shoulders of organisms.

Yes, we see a decline, yes, it is worrying, but the solidarity of our members and our community gives us hope for the future. But it must also be done with the alliesconcludes Bianca Nugent.