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As ‘parental rights’ movements resurge within the political right and far-right, the LGBTQ2S+ community, specifically transgender youth and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) inclusive education, are becoming their latest lightning rod issue. As a result, youth in Canada who identify as LGBTQ2S+ are being targeted by the anti-trans and anti-SOGI movements. The spread of misinformation and stoking of moral panic serve these groups in their efforts to deny queer and trans youth recognition and resources.
This panel event will identify the harm of these campaigns for queer and trans youth. With expert speakers and a skilled moderator, we will identify the ways in which inaccurate and harmful messaging can be resisted, and showcase how prioritizing ‘parental rights’ within schools, communities, and our society, comes at the cost of the rights and well-being of queer and trans youth.
We invite all who are curious about SOGI-inclusive education, the rising ‘parental rights movement’, and trending transphobia to attend this event with an open-mind and curiosity. The event will be broadcasted live and recorded – everyone is welcome to attend!
About the Speakers
Dr. Victoria E. Thomas (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Media and Public Engagement in the School of Communication. As an interdisciplinary scholar of Black Popular Cultural Studies, she primarily analyzes popular media to articulate how visual culture represents Blackness and Black identities. Her research is committed to political and civic engagement, diversity, and inclusion in public institutions to transform societal conditions. Dr. Thomas’ current research examines the communication practices of Black cisgender and transgender women in our contemporary media moment of hypervisibility of Black transgender women and intersectional feminism.
j wallace skelton is Assistant Professor of Queer Studies in Education at the University of Regina. j’s currently engaged in several research projects, one learning from parents of trans, nonbinary and two spirit youth who identify as advocates for their children and several projects that are interested in ways trans, nonbinary and two-spirit children and youth resist and are impacted by transphobic movements and legislation. j is interested research with children as co-researchers and in using comics to make academia more accessible
Dr. Travers (they/them) is a Professor of Sociology at Simon Fraser University. Their recent book, The Trans Generation: How Trans Kids (and Their Parents) Are Creating a Gender Revolution, situates trans kids in Canada and the US, white settler nations characterized by significant social inequality. In addition to a central research focus on transgender children and youth, Dr. Travers has published extensively on the relationship between sport and social justice, with particular emphasis on the inclusion and exclusion of women, queer and trans people of all ages. A current research program in this field focuses on gender equity in youth baseball. Travers is also the leader of an interdisciplinary research team examining electric micro-mobilities (electric scooters/skateboards/unicycles/bikes) from a mobility justice perspective.
Michelle Eliot (she/her) will be moderating this event. She is an award-winning journalist and the host of CBC British Columbia’s weekday call-in show, BC Today, where she engages in conversation with listeners on the day’s top stories and on issues important to British Columbians.
Michelle has hosted numerous CBC news specials, including election and provincial budget coverage on both local and network programs. She has also tapped into her Filipino heritage as part of CBC’s Mabuhay B.C., an ongoing initiative to share stories from the province’s Filipino community. Born in the Philippines, Michelle moved to Canada at 12-years-old, settling in North Vancouver. Her experience as a young immigrant inspired a yearning to tell the stories of people whose lives are changed by new circumstances.
Active in the community, Eliot has hosted numerous events and forums throughout the Lower Mainland, including panel discussions on proportional representation, basic income, costs of caregiving, and anxiety and motherhood. When not in the host chair, Eliot enjoys hiking and exploring Metro Vancouver’s diverse culinary landscape with her husband and two children. As a parent of a child with special needs, Eliot also participates in events in the disability community.
Accessibility, technology and privacy
Closed captioning in English will be available through the online event.
Technology requirements
Online attendees will need a computer (laptop or desktop), tablet or smartphone, with speakers or headphones. A microphone and/or a webcam are recommended if you would like to fully participate in the interactive portions of this event.
We recommend that you use a computer for the best experience of this event. Some interactivity and accessibility features are not available when using a smartphone or tablet.
Protecting your privacy
This event will be recorded, but only the speakers will be visible in the published recording. The recording will be shared with all registrants and published on SFU Public Square’s website, YouTube and social media channels.
To ensure that we are using online event technology in a privacy-conscious way, we are following best practices for this online event series:
- We will only circulate the event link to those who are registered for the event
- We will password-protect the event
- We will enable end-to-end encryption
- We will not use attention tracking
To protect your own privacy:
- We remind you that whatever you say during the event is public, so please do not share sensitive information about yourself or others, and do not say anything you do not wish to enter the public domain.
To protect the privacy of others:
- Please do not record or photograph yourself, other participants, or the hosts during the event, unless permission is requested and given.
Community guidelines
Our community guidelines are intended to ensure the safety of all guest speakers and event participants, and to foster honest, socially accountable dialogue at our events. Thank you for respecting these guidelines!
- Above all, there will be zero tolerance for those who promote violence or discrimination against others on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, or disability. Anyone who incites harm towards other participants (whether through chat, video, audio or otherwise) will be removed at the discretion of our technical team and moderator.
- Don’t assume pronouns/gender/knowledge based on someone’s name or appearance. Please refer to people using the usernames and/or pronouns they provide.
- Approach this event with an open heart and open mind. Recognize that we are all here to learn and please be respectful at all times.
