Nim Ralph and Morgane Oger in conversation
Exporting hatred:
Is a populist anti-transgender campaign being waged from Canada?
At a sold-out Nov 6 talk at Simon Fraser University, Nim Ralph and Morgane Oger discussed the resurgence of anti-Trans antagonism currently leveraging fear and outrage in its effort to block transgender inclusion from Canada to the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
Canadian activists opposed to the inclusion and equal protection of transgender persons were vocal when 10 provinces, two territories, and our federal government added the explicit prohibition from discrimination on the grounds of gender identity or expression to Canada's human rights laws.
Despite a definite failure to stop the full inclusion of Transgender persons at home, a number of activists moved on to organize against Trans equality overseas. Some are going as far as using disinformation campaigns to create fear and outrage as they push to deny Trans persons in the UK and other countries the very protections enacted in Canada.
Exploring the issue from UK and Canadian Trans perspectives, Nim and Morgane discussed the phenomenon on November 6 at Simon Fraser University. Moderated by Professor Dr. Jen Marchbank of the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies .they discussed the situation on the ground in Canada and the UK, whether Canada is enabling the export of anti-transgender hatred through inaction, what is being said and how it is being used, and what to do hateful about anti-transgender sentiment.
This sold-out public event was hosted by the Morgane Oger Foundation and the SFU Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies . It was held at SFU Harbourside campus located in downtown Vancouver, BC, on 6 November 2019 and was followed by rich and meaningful conversations about inclusion, hate propaganda, protest, safety, and dignity.
About the speakers:
Nim Ralph
Nim Ralph is a Trans activist and freelance trainer & facilitator based in London, UK. They have been an activist and organizer in the UK for 15 years. They co-founded QTIPOC London (a community network for Queers, Trans and Intersex People of Colour), So We Stand (an environmental and social justice organization) and were a founding member of The Edge Fund (a grassroots radical funding initiative).
They run 2 flagship training programmes for activists, organizers and change-makers in the UK (Campaign Bootcamp and Movement Builders) as well as working as campaigns and anti-oppression consultant for a number of organizations globally including Transgender Europe, Greenpeace International, Sum of Us and Stand.Earth. They campaign actively for queer and trans rights and organize extensively around issues related to anti-racism, disability and the environment.
You can find more of their work on twitter: @NMRLPH
Morgane Oger
Morgane Oger is a Canadian Transgender and human rights advocate. She lives in Vancouver, where she is raising a family. Her advocacy work centers on inclusion and public policy.
Working through the foundation she founded to continue her activism work, Oger strives to narrow the gap between Canada’s human rights laws and the reality faced by Canadians impacted by discrimination.
Morgane works to address the systemic problems caused when organizations and institutions flaunt Canada's laws.
Morgane spearheaded updates to of Vancouver Police Department transgender-specific and jail policies. She works with the Canadian Human Rights Commission to provide support to transgender women involved in the Federal prison system going through the federal human rights tribunal process.
You can Morgane on Twitter at @morganeogerbc
Dr. Jennifer Marchbank - Moderator
Dr. Jen Marchbank is a professor in the Simon Fraser University Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. Dr Marchbank focuses on the politics of care; gendered violence; feminist pedagogy; refugee settlement; LGBTQ history; and gender variant youth.
You can find more of Dr. Marchbank’s work on twitter: @DrJenMarchbank
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