2Bmag online

The Council of Québec Gays and Lesbians (CGQL) says that it is prepared to file formal complaints against Transport Canada for the rules instituted by the Conservatives for ID checks on the gender and appearance of airline passengers. The advocacy group requested a legal opinion on the matter several weeks ago. Interview with the CQGL’s Julie-Maude Beauchesne.

From February 23 to March 4, 2012, for the fourth consecutive year, the RADICAL QUEER SEMAINE will host a week of events on gender and sexuality and occupy a main space for 10 days “free from heterosexism and oppression.” The rag-tag group of queers has assembled a gigantic programme of workshops, parties, and art events, starting this Thursday, Feb 23rd with their opening panel: Queer In/Justice. 2229 Ste Catherine Est, 6:30pm

The Charest government’s announcement of their bullying prevention plan in schools last week left some associations pleasantly surprised, while others were disappointed that their requests had not been met.

In a chilling sign of how hostile the environment for LGBT people is in Tunisia, the online magazine GayDay came under attack from the country’s Minister of Human Rights. Last month on live television. Fadi, the founder of the website who goes only by his first name for safety reasons, agreed to an interview by email. He spoke to Être’s Antoine Aubert about the threats made to his team, the difficult situation for gays after the revolution that overthrew the Ben Ali dictatorship, and the rise to power of the Islamist Ennahda party.

Thirty-two activists and sympathizers were gathered last night at the offices of ACCM, brought together by agit-prop poster art and a shared desire to combat serophobia. The debate arose following the flash-demo February 7 against the criminalization of HIV non-disclosure during which two posters designed by Toronto artists Mikiki and Allyson Mitchell for Toronto’s AIDS ACTION NOW! were displayed by protesters.

“Gays threaten the continuation of the human race,” Libya’s delegate told a planning meeting of the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council yesterday, reported the Geneva-based UN Watch monitoring group. It was the first appearance in a regular council session by the post-invasion government.

“I remember when I first came out as trans in the late 90′s, and none of my friends could use my right pronoun,” Dean Spade told me as we chatted via Skype last week. A lot has changed since then, but as the recent Transport Canada regulation revealed, the political set-backs on trans issues have been as common as the social advances. Dean Spade’s new manual to trans issues and the law, NORMAL LIFE, launches this Friday, Feb 17, at Café l’Artère, 6:30pm.

The House of Commons transportation committee rejected the NDP’s request Thursday to modify the law that went into effect on July 29 forbidding airlines from transporting passengers who do not appear to be the sex indicated on their identity papers, a law that is sure to cause increased discrimination of transgendered and transsexual citizens when they travel by plane.

The fierce fight for marriage equality in the U.S. keeps going with the groundbreaking news of Washington becoming the seventh state to legalize same-sex marriage. The Evergreen State has now joined the list of “cool” states along with New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia.

This Tuesday, February 7, Montréal Mayor Gérald Tremblay announced that he would allow the creation of supervised injection sites (SIS), but only in establishments linked with the public health and social services network, and not in community (or non-profit) organisations. This decision, which was applauded by many residents of downtown, goes against the recommendations formed by a working group created by the Public Health Department of Montréal.