On October 7th, members of YPM’s cabinet were invited to visit the Rainbow Resource Center to facilitate a debate with the Peer Project for Youth. The bill up for discussion was The Gender Equality Act, written by Alumnus (and former Provincial Secretary) Jonathan Northam.
After a round of introductions, Kamal (our Premier), Alanna (Registrar General), Michael (Minister of Alumni Affairs) and Taylor (PS to Finance) broke down the bill clause by clause so that everyone had an opportunity to learn about what the bill wanted to change. After some initial questions, everyone at PPY jumped in and started sharing opinions on what needed to be changed, what made sense, and what seemed to be counterintuitive to the bill’s intent.
Debate went on for over an hour and a half, with discussion on how the changes proposed would impact Canadian businesses, culture, and individual quality of life. Personal stories were shared to explain how diverse the trans* experience is, and to highlight the shortcomings of The Gender Equality Act. The youth at the PPY approached the bill with a sharp, critical focus – and were able to have their voice heard.
Our cabinet had a great time facilitating this debate and hope to see some familiar faces at this year’s Winter Session!
Peer Project for Youth meets Monday and Wednesdays from 7PM-9PM. PPY is a program that offers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, and Ally (LGBTTIQQA*) youth (13-21 years old) a safer, fun place to learn new skills, create projects and celebrate identities. Check out their Facebook group for more information.