I don’t think that this is a subject I have leaned into enough amid my recent life experiences as of late. I have to admit that I have been feeling reminiscent to the pandemic, during which time I became hyper fixated on the news and allowed it to negatively impact my mental health and overall anxiety.
For those of you reading this, it is important for me to make the following statement as clear as I can. I am speaking from my own experiences as a white skinned gay man on a new journey of indigeneity to reconnect with my Métis heritage. I cannot and will not speak on behalf of the Trans, BIPOC, Indigenous, and others in my community as their lived experiences are their own. I simply feel it’s important to perhaps touch on this subject in light of the world we are living in so that you might give the subject some thought if you are on the outside looking in.
A very important person to me that I am slowly building a genuine friendship with shared something to her stories today that spoke to this exactly.
Jamie is one of my favourite content creators and human beings.
As a Trans woman of colour, she has faced some of the most visceral and ugly responses from other human being that I have ever witnessed just for living her life online. Some of you might think to yourself that if she’s living her life publicly, that she is putting herself out there for that kind of response.
But for those of you who think that first when reading the above, I want you to take a moment to pause. Think back on your life and the comforts you may have in them. Especially if you are cis-gendered and straight, many of you may not realized your inherent privilege in that.
Now, put yourself in the shoes of countless members of my community, most of all Trans women of colour. This is statistically proven, so please before you come @ me, google it and do some research.
I have watched Jamie, Myles Sexton, Owen Unruh, and other queer creators that I love and admire get told they should die or to stay quiet or that they don’t know what they are talking about.
Death threats.
Take a minute to realize the severity of that.
People wanting us to die, or worse threatening to murder us themselves.
Just for existing and trying to share our stories so that we and others feel seen.
A few years ago I did a big Pride campaign and had death threats daily for weeks. I had not experienced that in a few years, and that’s sad to admit.
Not “I had never experienced that before” but rather, not for a few years. Because it has become something I am used to and prepare myself for in the world we live in.
The reality in 2025 is that hate against our community is on the rise. Social media has emboldened people to attack and vilify members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ (sometimes referred to more commonly as LGBT) community more than ever.
With the current US administration, these same platforms has removed restrictions around hate speech towards us, and you can see it in black and white in the comments section of our posts. Our content is hidden from our audiences, and our reach is suppressed, just because of who we are.
Creators specifically are more and more scared. Not to mentioned that if and when we support and amplify the voices of one another in a system that is actively working to keep us small and quiet, we get shadow banned and restricted.
The reality is that we are being silenced. And when we are not, we are literally being erased.
It’s not just in the United States where they have removed the term Trans from governmental websites, major historical landmarks, and social change moments such as Stonewall. They are also doing so in the educational system where children are being forced to keep their identities and true selves quiet again.
But let’s not kid ourselves. There is anti trans and anti gay sentiments and legislation in Saskatchewan, and the current Conservative party leader has made his stance on our community very clear. We do not fall in his definition of traditional, so we are preparing ourselves for what he may try to mirror from his US counterparts if given the chance.
I guess ahead of the election and as I watch the US descend into Fascism, which I am not here to argue because it’s fact, I’m scared. I’m scared for my friends in the US who are literally concerned for their rights and some of them for their lives. I’m scared for my Trans community members here who are facing the same level of erasure and violence.
I don’t mean to upset or depress you. But trust me when I say, it’s not all rainbows and Pride month merch for us. It’s a fight to feel safe to express ourselves and sometimes just live our lives every single day.
It is important to acknowledge the reality of the world we live in.
The fact that just because in the upcoming Canadian election that you “want change” and vote for a party, doesn’t mean you should if it comes at the cost of humanity.
Now more than ever all I am asking is that do your research when it comes not only to LGBT rights, but to women’s rights over their own bodies / reproductive rights, BIPOC rights, Indigenous rights, and more. It can’t always be about our preconceptions and bias and money. There is more to the world and life, don’t you think?
It has to be more than about money and wanting “a change” you’ve been convinced would happen.
Just because the world is going backwards doesn’t mean that you and I, or Canada has to.
On a final note, speaking to what Jamie shared above, please stop with performative allyship. I have lost many deals and opportunities for sharing Pro Trans, Pro Gay, Pro Women’s Rights, Pro BIPOC rights, Pro Indigenous rights content. And while many of my fellow creators and contacts may think I should be quiet, I know that in my heart, I can’t.
I’m not saying you have to lose something in order to stand up for us, but sometimes it’s going to be uncomfortable when you do. I hope in that split second, you chose courage and make the right decision.
I will never judge anyone for saying or not saying something because our online personas are just a part of who we are. Many of us have families, staff, friends and experiences that may not allow us to be vocal as much as we would like to.
Just because I am vocal about this and perhaps not as much about other world problems does not mean I don’t ACTIVELY support a free Palestine safe from genocide, that ALL of the Israeli hostages should be freed, that Ukraine needs to win with the support of the world and be allowed into the EU, or that Russia should be punished for an illegal war.
I am speaking on the causes that touch my life and the life of those I love and care for most, just as you can and should you. I already know that I’m going to get hate for some of the things I’ve said, but like Jamie shared, sometimes that is the cost we have to pay to stand up and say this isn’t okay.
Check in on your 2SLGBTQIA+ friends and family, because while I will never speak for us all, I am sure to some degree they are anxious and worried when they think about this all.
Sending us all, especially the marginalized communities of the world, strength and courage to keep speaking out and to keep living our lives as authentically and loudly as we want.
PS here are some of my favourite creators from my community I hope you follow and support.
https://www.instagram.com/also.owen
https://www.instagram.com/mylessexton
https://www.instagram.com/justjamiep
There are so many others and I promise to amplify them more online as much as I can in the coming months. If nothing else, even if I get banned over and over and restricted, because we need to be seen and heard now more than ever.
Don’t forget to be kind & a little more honest with yourself this year
*** PS If you are a member of our community, especially a gay man, and you don’t feel the necessity to stand up for and our support our Trans family members, I hope that you take the time to do some introspection and ask yourself why. Because that’s pretty horrible to do and we all need to stand together united and in support of each other, no matter what happpens in the coming Canadian election and years.
Do better.