rights on paper, reality in practice

I have been listening to the concerns of people in the LGBTQ2S+ community who are frightened about what the new government may mean for their rights and their future.

One MLA was challenging the Conservatives over what she saw as hypocrisy, reminding them that LGBTQ2S+ people have protections under human rights legislation.

Those protections matter. But there is a difference between having rights on paper and being able to exercise those rights in real life.

I know this from personal experience.

Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes everyone's right to an adequate standard of living, including housing. Yet I experienced housing insecurity as a single mother. The existence of that human right did not guarantee that I could access safe, secure housing when I needed it.

So when someone says, “Don't exaggerate,” in response to people expressing genuine fears, I have to ask: are we listening to what people are saying, or are we dismissing their concerns because we don't share them?

Nobody can predict exactly what a government will do. We should examine its policies, its actions and its record rather than assume the worst or blindly trust that everything will be fine.

But LGBTQ2S+ people should not have to wait until their rights are threatened or taken away before their concerns are taken seriously.

Human rights legislation is essential. So is enforcing it, defending it and ensuring that people can actually rely on its protections.

Dismissing someone's fears without listening to their reasons can be a form of gaslighting. It can make people question whether their concerns are legitimate when they deserve to be heard and discussed honestly.

We don't have to agree on every political issue to treat one another with dignity.

And we don't have to experience discrimination ourselves to take the possibility seriously when others tell us they are afraid.

I've learned that a right is only as meaningful as the protection people can actually access when they need it.

Let's listen to one another. Let's question those in power, regardless of party. And let's not confuse the existence of a law with the guarantee that everyone will be safe, housed, respected and treated equally.

Human rights are not something we should take for granted. They are something we must continue to uphold.

#HumanRights #LGBTQ2S #TransRights #EqualityForAll #HumanRightsCode #Article25 #HousingIsAHumanRight #DignityForAll #ListenDontDismiss #LivedExperience #SocialJustice #Discrimination #StandUpForHumanRights #InclusiveSociety #Accountability