As reported on May 13th, Queen City Pride (QCP), the organization responsible for Regina's pride parade, has banned SaskParty MLAs from officially participating in any Pride week events.
SEIU-West's Gender & Sexual Diversity Committee (GSDC) stands in solidarity with QCP. In 2023 the SaskParty government passed legislation and invoked the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in order to force teachers to out gender-diverse students to their parents if they choose to use a different name or pronouns than those assigned at birth.
"Forcibly outing queer kids to their sometimes-intolerant parents can have disastrous consequences," said Jae Blakley, chair of SEIU-West's GSDC. "Not allowing young people to identify with their correct gender is a gross violation of both their freedom of expression and their right to bodily autonomy. The SaskParty made a dangerous and cruel mistake with its legislative decisions related to gender and sexual diversity."
SEIU-West and the GSDC will be participating in Pride activities and events throughout the province and we feel it is inappropriate for the SaskParty to appear to support the gender-diverse community one day, yet spend the rest of the year using unethical legislation and legal action in an attempt to erase us.
The GSDC does not consider the provincial government an ally of the queer community and supports QCP's decision to ban SaskParty MLAs from Pride week activities. We support any organization or ally who stands with the queer community, fights for our rights, and lives the values of love, respect, and inclusivity that are cornerstones of the Pride movement.
Barbara Cape, President of SEIU-West, added, “Decisions like the one the SaskParty government made to introduce legislation about pronouns is not about parental rights. It never was. It is about using a marginalized group to pander to those who hold extreme views about the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. SEIU-West stands in solidarity with the gender and sexually diverse community."