Evidence of meeting #137 for Health in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was trans.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
In the six seconds I have left, could you guys give us guidance or a recommendation regarding the terminology the committee should use in its report regarding LGBTQ2, LGBTQ2S, and so forth?
Director of Research and Policy, Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
At Egale the acronym we use is LGBTQI2S, to include intersex.
Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
So we don't all necessarily agree—
Associate Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
—but I think it's important to consider that just the way in which this meeting was set up, intersex was not included. I didn't address that in my remarks, given that it wasn't included, but I think it's an important consideration. Are intersex issues within the purview of this study? I would suggest that they should be.
I think it's also important to have explicit inclusion of the “2” or “2S” to ensure that two-spirit issues are included.
Liberal
Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
It wasn't a fair question for six seconds. I'm sorry.
Thank you.
Gérard Deltell Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC
Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I am the Marilyn Gladu of the day. I'm very pleased to be here.
Dear friends, good afternoon.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your House of Commons.
Your presentations are always very touching and sometimes even quite poignant, especially yours, Ms. Bloch, about the reality that people in the LGBTQ community are still experiencing.
Perhaps Mr. MacFarlane or Mr. Matern could answer the questions that come to my mind regarding seniors in the LGBTQ community.
As we all know, our older citizens of the LGBTQ community were born and raised in a country where it was illegal for them to be what they were. For most of their young and adult life, male or female, it was tough for so many of them to have to live in the closet and sometimes to get out of it. Then when they reached the age of 60 or 65 and went into a seniors home, they would have to live the same situation again.
I'm a former journalist. About 10 years ago, I talked about the situation of those seniors who have to come out of the closet again—an unfortunate expression—when they go to live in seniors homes. It's a very difficult situation. It's already been 12 years or so since I left the world of journalism.
Do you feel that, even today, people in the LGBTQ community who, in the winter of their lives, live in seniors homes face the same stigma as they did in their youth in the 1970s?
Director, Rainbow Health Ontario
My apologies if I misunderstand your question. My French isn't what it used to be.
To my understanding, yes, for LGBT seniors there are people who go back into the closet and who have to. There are also a number of long-term care homes in Canada that are starting to very actively work to create conditions where LGBT people are welcome. This is by no means all care homes; it's a few. We have some early strengths. Some areas can be expanded. For instance, the City of Toronto produced in 2007 or 2008 an initial version of some guidelines for long-term care homes. They've just re-released them.
So yes, there are problems. People are tremendously afraid. We also have some potential to build on this.
Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC
I remember that people have said it's better to just have an LGBTQ house for them.
What do you think of that?
Director, Rainbow Health Ontario
One agency in Toronto called the Rekai Centres is looking at having an LGBTQ wing on the floor. Some people may not want to be in an LGBTQ-specific wing and some might.
I think it's more how do we set up a range of options that can meet an individual's own comfort level and preference.
Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC
Do you see any change in the minds of people? Maybe Mr. Matern could participate in the conversation.
Maybe 10 years ago they were not ready to welcome that kind of new reality of today and now they have to move on.
Director of Research and Policy, Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
Do you mean a change in the institutions themselves?
Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC
In the institutions, and also in the people who are not LGBTQ.
Director of Research and Policy, Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
I think there are changes for sure.
I think the present fear is still.... I don't know if that's changed. Perhaps what people actually experience especially as they age.... When they are worried about losing their autonomy and decision-making abilities, the fear overrides any kind of progress, perhaps, that has been made in change of attitude. I think that's why special care needs to be taken to train service providers and to perhaps even add a credential system of some sort to long-term care facilities, so that becomes less of a concern. At least they have that to fall back on as well.
Director, Rainbow Health Ontario
To add on that a bit, some of the challenges in long-term care facilities is that as people age and experience cognitive decline, they may lose some of their filters. While people may have previously been supportive of LGBTQ people, all of a sudden really homophobic language can start coming out of their mouths and prejudiced language on a number of fronts.
That's one element of the challenges. Even as society changes, the compatriots of LGBTQ seniors in long-term care homes are also a product of their times.
Director of Research and Policy, Egale Canada Human Rights Trust
I would also like to add something to that.
In a survey that Egale did of both service providers and older people, the top concern among both of them was the fear of having queer and trans seniors going back into the closet. As service providers we're concerned as well. That was a recent survey. The fear is present amongst the staff.
Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC
I'd like to talk about the transgender people and especially the youth—40% of them...suicide ideation...instead of for people who are....
My question is about the senior citizens. How do they live through that? Transgender was not a big issue for elder citizens. Is it the reality now?
Board Member, Toronto Pflag
There certainly are now.... It depends what you consider to be senior.
Louis-Saint-Laurent, CPC
Well, okay, I have a big problem there. I mean 60 plus.
Board Member, Toronto Pflag
Okay.
I do know some transgender people in that age bracket. They're out and finally able to live as who they couldn't be for a long time. I don't know personally very many over 60.
