May 17th, 2019

New Democrats mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement on the 2019 International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia:

"Today and every day, Ontario’s New Democrats are proud to stand with members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community in the ongoing fight against homophobia, transphobia and biphobia.

We recognize that LGBTQIA2S+ Ontarians still face discrimination and hostility in their daily lives, including prejudice in hiring practices, bias when accessing services, and threats of violence.

Across the world, LGBTQIA2S+ people continue to face discrimination that leaves them to fear for their safety under regressive governments that criminalize their identities and seek to deny their existence.

On this day each year, we mourn the lives lost to homophobia, transphobia and biphobia. We celebrate the hard-earned gains, and we recommit to keep fighting. Our New Democrat MPPs have been proud to lead the fights on banning conversion therapy, entrenching gender identity protections in the Human Rights Code, and marking the Transgender Day of Remembrance at Queen’s Park — and there’s much more work to be done.

LGBTQIA2S+ Ontarians deserve to live free from prejudice, violence, expressions of hatred, erasure, and systemic discrimination; and they deserve to have representation, partnerships and allies at Queen’s Park committed to making that happen."