It is indeed the case. I'm concerned that we are headed backwards, and my worry right now is that I don't know how far backwards that goes.
Just yesterday I opened my phone and looked at a story in America where two trans people were assaulted out of nowhere—I think it was in Missouri—simply for being themselves. A crowd around them cheered on the assault.
Again, I'm 29 years old. I grew up when Ontario was going through the fight to protect gender and sexuality or gay-straight alliances in our schools. I remember when sexual diversity was a new thing, something that we were still trying to understand, though I'm not old enough to know the worst days prior to marriage equality.
However, I think we have seen this evolution where we've accepted a greater range of diversity when it comes to gender and sexuality. I think the concerning piece now is that, indeed, social media has furthered that polarization. To Ms. Ferreri's point, I think it has made it harder for us to have these conversations and to see the everyday experiences.
I just got back from six weeks travelling to six provinces and seven cities. I was chatting with factory workers, farmers, and dock workers in P.E.I., Newfoundland and B.C. Lots of them had never met a trans person. I loved going up and saying, “I am very new to you.” I was on stages, and my opening joke was something to the effect of betting that they weren't expecting to see a 5’11”, deep-voiced trans lady on stage talking to them about gay stuff. My favourite thing is that they can see, when you sit down and and have a beer and a conversation, that it comes back to fundamental realities—human beings are human beings regardless of how they look.
I grew up as a hockey player and a child of two military parents. There's nothing I love more than hanging out at a dive bar, chatting with somebody who is very confused about my gender. Then we move on to sports, and I get very confused about the sports, and then we just keep on going. This is part of what makes Canada an incredible country when we can see that shared humanity.
However, it's dangerous when we see that diversity turned into a bad thing. I think that is what's happening today. It is something that, indeed, some are aiding and abetting, but is also being pushed by groups that have always wanted a Canada where people like me are not invited into spaces like this. It's those same folks who opposed marriage equality, who opposed civil rights for LGBTQI+ people, who voted against banning conversion practices. All of those folks are getting louder and emboldened in this environment.