Six southern Ontario bands rocked Barrie, Ontario’s Simcoe Hotel, in support of trans youth on October 15 during Stonewall 2: Fundraiser Boogaloo.

People who didn’t make it out to enjoy the music ranging from acoustic folk punk to punk and pop rock but still want to support transgender youth as they endure attacks from far-right agitators across Canada can contribute at https://www.transwellness.ca. Trans Wellness Ontario provides counselling, resources and peer support for transgender youth in Ontario at a time when anti-2SLGBTQIA rhetoric is on the rise.

On September 20, protests were held nationwide under the misnomer 1millionmarch4children. It was a misnomer for several reasons, the biggest of which was the underwhelming turnout. In most communities, the protesters were overwhelmingly outnumbered by pro-2SLGBTQIA+ counter-protesters who stood up for the mental health and well-being of trans and nonbinary children.

On October 21, another attempt is being made for far-right groups to gather, but once again, counter-protests are being planned to show there is no space for the hatred and bigotry being touted under the guise of family values. To find out where counter-protests are happening, visit Celeste Trianon‘s Instagram.

In September, the anti-2SLGBTQIA+ protests were aimed mainly at the needs of youth who fall under the umbrella of transgender, which includes a wide range of gender identities and expressions of people who do not fully or partially identify with the gender associated with their assigned sex at birth.

According to a study shared by the Canadian Medical Association Journal in June 2022 that included 6800 adolescents aged 15–17 years, 1130 indicated some degree of same-gender attraction, 265 were unsure of their attraction, and 50 reported a transgender identity. Compared with cisgender, heterosexual adolescents,  the transgender adolescents in the study showed five times the risk of suicidal ideation and 7.6 times the risk of suicide attempts.

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, several factors put transgender people at risk of suicide and can strain one’s mental health. Two of the five listed on its website directly affect whether parent’s rights should be placed before their children’s. The first is institutional prejudice manifesting as laws and policies which create inequalities and fail to protect children from discrimination. The second is a lack of support from parents and other family members.

On the flip side, the Mental Health Commission of Canada lists supportive and strong relationships with family and friends, access to gender-affirming health care (which does not mean completed medical transition as it is often not even desired by trans people) and having one’s name and pronouns accepted as proven ways to reduce risk of suicidal thoughts or attempts.

The protesters involved in the gatherings under the 1millionmarch4children banner claim they are showing up as concerned family members. Yet, the language they and their supporters use is full of abusive homophobic and transphobic slurs, even when young children are present.

Stonewall 2: Fundraiser Boogaloo opened with the caustic folk-punk sounds of Morel, encouraging people to stand up for their friends, family and anyone else who might be affected by narrow-minded bigots.

“Doing direct action does not necessarily imply doing things that are illegal; it just means doing things,” Morel said. “Unfortunately, sometimes those things are illegal, you have to do, and it’s okay to get arrested, and it’s okay to go through that process.”

Chachi On Acid, a semi-retired punk band that only plays about once a year, thought this cause was worth playing, even swapping out their usual guitarist for the kitty, the myth, the legend, Rapid Tension’s cool operator Dan Price to make the show happen.

The mind behind Gay Ass Productions, Earl Wyvern, not only put the show together but also scorched the audience in the best way with a set of melodious messages performed by a collection of musicians that can vary from gig to gig they call Spare Parts.

Hailing from the Guelph area, Mercy, a band that lets their music speak for them, stood up for trans youth next, emphasizing the message with a sonic boom.

Old hands on the punk rock deck, The Speed Humps, rocked the room precisely, slicing through the sewage with a skilled predilection for controlled chaos. These fellas showed a penchant for oppositional goodwill.

“Let me just say, all of us are humankind,” bassist Glenn McGroggie paused to say, “Be both.”

The final band of the night may have had a smoother, more pop sound, but Not So Gentle kept the energy level high as they continued supporting the vital cause that brought the bands and the crowd out.

“It’s fun to be here,” Sophie Gentle told the audience. “Especially for this cause, obviously. Because we’re queer, we’re trans, and we fucking support and love everybody because that’s how it should be, right? We don’t have space for hate.”

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