LGBT Pride Days 2001

EQUALITY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL!

Statement by the Central Executive Committee
Communist Party of Canada

THE WELCOME TREND towards greater equality and justice for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered (LGBT) persons continues in Canada, but not without setbacks and difficulties. As we celebrate the gains achieved through years of struggle by many individuals and organizations, we know that this is also a time to stand up against bigotry. At Pride events across the country this summer, the Communist Party of Canada reaffirms our full commitment to a united struggle for equality and justice for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

One of the most important queer rights events this summer will be the "Solidarity and Pride" conference in Vancouver this month, organized by the Canadian Labour Congress. The initiatives by many unions to fight homophobia within the ranks of organized labour and beyond are a major contribution to the struggle for inclusion and respect.

Another important advance over the last year has been the movement for marriage rights and other forms of legal recognition for same-sex couples. Our Party salutes the courageous challenges in several provinces against the patriarchal concept that marriage is a privilege reserved for opposite-sex couples. Once again we condemn Parliament's definition of marriage as "a union between a man and a woman." This shameful concession to religious fundamentalism undermines the positive aspects of recent equality legislation by accepting a form of "sexual apartheid."

Most Canadian governments have been forced by the courts to begin legislating equality rights, lagging behind the views of the people. The huge outpouring of support for the Montreal gay couple resisting harassment by a homophobic neighbour, and the consistent backing of same-sex marriage rights by over 55% of respondents in opinion polls, are just two examples of this growing support for equality.

But reactionary forces such as the Canadian Alliance party, backed by fundamentalist religious groups, have not given up. Claiming to be "defenders of traditional family values," they promote hatred and inequality, not respect and tolerance. Their homophobic and transphobic agenda is part of a wider attack against working people and the labour movement. Ultimately, they serve the corporate interests which aim to destroy democratic rights, roll back progress towards gender equality, gut social programs, and splinter the public school system, all in their drive for profits.

In Saskatchewan, the emerging movement for queer rights has been met with a homophobic backlash. The same groups which have tried to block Pride Day proclamations are now organizing "Heterosexual Pride" and "Gun Owners Pride" events. These groups have stirred up hatred around such issues as grants to Queer Film festivals, trying to block the NDP's hesitant moves to legislate equality for same-sex couples.

But similar problems exist in most other parts of Canada. For example, queer and questioning youth targetted by bullies in our schools still have few supportive teachers or Gay-Straight Alliances to turn to for support. The decision of the courts to allow Trinity Western University to continue training teachers is a chilling reminder that the "right" to promote homophobic ideas is still protected by the state.

Even within the people's movements much work must still be done to promote inclusion and respect, for example to overcome narrow definitions of gender which effectively deny important human rights for transgender people.

Like racism, sexism, and national chauvinism, homophobia and transphobia are weapons used by the ruling classes to divide working people and to hold back the rising spirit of united resistance to capitalist globalization. The Communist Party fights all such manifestations of hatred.

The struggle for queer liberation is entering a new stage. The CPC believes that the key to advancing this struggle lies in building a broad coalition to fight for a genuine People's Alternative to the neoliberal economic and social agenda. Such a movement must be based on unity between labour and the popular movements of youth and students, women, seniors, environmentalists, peace activists, farmers, aboriginal people, immigrants, the LGBT community, and many others. With an effective action plan to win mass support, such an alliance can step up the fight outside and inside Parliament for a people's agenda.

Such a People's Alternative must include sweeping measures to achieve greater social equality, especially for women, whose rights to equality and reproductive choice are under attack; for young Canadians who bear the brunt of high unemployment and massive student debt loads; and for all minority groups targetted by the "scapegoating" ideology of the ruling class and the ultra right.

These goals can only be achieved by curbing the transnational corporations, through stronger mobilization and solidarity by the organized labour movement and all democratic forces. The Communist Party pledges to continue working to help build such a broad and powerful People's Coalition.

We believe that this struggle can lead towards full social emancipation and genuine people's power in a future socialist Canada, where our economy will be socially owned and democratically controlled. Only in such a society will it be possible to forever eliminate all forms of exploitation, oppression, and inequality, and to defend our sovereignty and protect the environment.

© 2001 Communist Party of Canada