28 June, 2023
NDP Leader and MHA Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) says government must show true ally ship to a vulnerable community by providing sustained core provincial funding to community groups with a mandate to support the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Groups like Quadrangle NL have been supporting needs in the community for eight years with no provincial support.
A report published by Statistics Canada identified that transgender Canadians were more likely to have experienced violence since age 15, and more likely to experience inappropriate behaviours in public, online and at work than cisgender Canadians. Egale Canada has published that 90% of trans students hear negative or demeaning comments daily or weekly from other students.
“While it was encouraging to see members from all political parties at the rally on the steps of Confederation Building -- the community needs meaningful action,” said Dinn. “2SLGBTQIA+-led organizations provide safe places within their community and do work that wouldn’t happen otherwise to advocate and provide much needed access to healthcare, housing, and more, but they need sustained core funding to continue.”
Statistics Canada also reported that sexual minority Canadians were more likely than heterosexual Canadians to report that they considered their mental health to be poor or fair (32% versus 11%). They were also more likely to have seriously contemplated suicide in their lifetimes (40% versus 15%), and to have been diagnosed with a mood or anxiety disorder (41% versus 16%).
In a letter published on June 16 2023 Quadrangle NL declined an invitation from government to attend the pride flag raising ceremony at Confederation Building. In the letter they indicated ‘Despite 8 years of meeting with the government, and following all requests and suggestions made of us in order to secure core funding and or space – there has not been sufficient attention to the needs and contributions of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community or of Quadrangle NL’. The ‘Everyone Counts: St. John’s Homeless Point-In-Time Count 2022’ report from End Homelessness St. John’s outlined that 13% of respondents identified as 2SLGBTQIA+, and among those respondents 75% were youth.
“Government must do the work to support 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations. Marginalized people shouldn’t be overworking themselves to prove how crucial their work is to a community we know to be vulnerable,” said Dinn. “I urge the Minister to commit core funding to 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations and make them sustainable. With the increasing hate targeted towards this community now is the time to provide provincial support.”
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For further information, contact Eddy St. Coeur, Director of Communications, NDP Caucus at 729-2137 (o), or eddystcoeur@gov.nl.ca