Hope in an Era of Hate: A Webinar on Building Trans Power Through Knowledge and Community

Cover Photo Credit: Tiffany Parker from the Hope in an Era of Hate Webinar.

On March 30th, 2026, a group of trans rights activists from across Canada held a webinar open to the public on trans rights and the ever-growing obstacles on the road to achieving them as Canadian citizens.

Faye, the event’s MC, began by having each organizer introduce themselves and their role. Victoria identified herself as the Executive Director of Transactional Alberta and a drag queen. Then Bennet introduced himself as Director of Legal at EGale Canada, followed by Sizwe, a policy and advocacy official at Rainbow Railroad. Finally Aleks (Executive Director of Rainbow Refugee Society) and Kai Cheng (cultural worker located in Toronto) introduced themselves.

Legal Struggles

The first problem the group addressed was the treatment of trans people in Alberta, calling Alberta the “Texas of Canada.” As of October 2025, Alberta had used the notwithstanding clause, resulting in the policing of names and pronouns in school, banning transgender girls from participating in amateur female sports, and restricting gender-affirming health care for youth under 16. 

Victoria commented on the treatment of trans people, expressing:

“The despair hitting our community is real and we need to be prepared if we see pieces of the legislation coming in other areas … We need to prepare more for the post-fight reality, and that is having a devastating impact on trans youth and adults … We’re seeing a lot of people leave [Alberta], [have] thoughts of suicidality, as well as a lot of people self-harm.”

Victoria concluded by urging the audience that:

“If you see signs of this happening in your community you need to go full press, full court immediately.”

Faye then asked Bennet to speak about the trans issues within Quebec, as the “gladiator in the legal arena.” Faye brought up the challenge to Bill 21 (which bans civil servants from wearing religious symbols to work) as the government again used the notwithstanding clause in order to shield themselves from consequences. 

Bennet explained the scrutiny behind the repeated use of the notwithstanding clause, expressing how Canadians should be concerned:

“The reality [is] that there have been a number of anti-trans laws passed and these laws are plainly unconstitutional, which I mean are a clear violation of the charter rights.”

He continued by describing the ordinary procedure following unconstitutional acts in the court of law:

“We’d be able to bring charter challenges, marshall out evidence, bring everything together, get the support of incredible communities and families, and prove our case in court … to get, what we call in legal context, relief.” 

Bennet ended on the possibilities in which:

“What the supreme court does is really going to have an impact on what options we have in courts … There are constitutional arguments … that aren’t affected by notwithstanding clauses, and what we’ve asked the court having to do with the health care ban challenge is to make arguments based on the division of powers.” 

Trans Advocacy

Faye then shifted the conversation to Kai Cheng, asking Kai about her time writing and advocating for trans rights. Kai voiced her opinion on the more progressive cultural shift necessary society needs in order to cope and fight the backlash against trans people in this recent era:

“Cultural workers are given this responsibility to make this movement irresistible…how do we make communities that are irresistible, life-giving, pleasure giving, fun in the midst of everything going on?”

Kai later communicated her appreciation for communities:

“The centering of community with the cultural narratives of the trans movement in Canada is a beautiful thing as [it] is the centering of intersectionality and diversity… [We must recognize] how important it is to build solidarity and acknowledge that we are different.”

Swize spoke after Kai about how modern society is defining who belongs and deserves safety. She added that although we’re seeing these patterns domestically, this problem is translated globally. She notes that transphobic people and government officials are portraying trans, LGBTQ women, and gender diverse individuals as national identity threats due to their disruption of the patriarchy. 

She then discussed how trans women have begun seeking asylum into different places like Turkey, noting:

“IDs are a gateway into society itself so you can be deported wherever. Even in Canada we’re replicating the same ideas.”

Swize ended by noting the importance of “recognizing the full circle of oppression that we deal with globally.”

Trans Immigrants

Faye moved the conversation toward trans immigrants and the harm Canadian courts have been causing them. She asked Aleks about the lessons we can learn from migration justice, refugee rights, and the proper response to these injustices.

Aleks expressed:

“Safety can never be guaranteed in Canada. It has never been a safe haven, but if we project that Canada is a safe haven for LGBTQI people and then Canada goes abroad to talk about that in Global Affairs, [it] can create LGBTQI programming in other countries.”

He then added his personal feelings regarding current global injustices as someone who is not only trans, but also a Palestinian immigrant:

“I feel like all my identities are under attack … In just those three identities I don’t feel safe anymore.”

Aleks ended by addressing the younger generation regarding immigration and queer rights, acknowledging the economy. Referencing the anti-immigration perspectives in Canada, he asked the audience:

“In 5–10 years, who’s going to pay for your pension plan? What is the new generation that is going to be there to pay tax money? … There are 10 million Canadians who are over 60 and we’re wanting to bring down the population.”

After everyone had a chance to speak, the webinar ended with some words from Faye, voicing the importance of hope:

“I think we can build a better world than any that we’ve seen, and I think we can build that together.”