Local transgender man Vincent Bolt said he's hoping the federal government will finally pass legislation to protect the rights of transgender people.
Bill C-16 would make it illegal under the Canadian Human Rights Act to discriminate on the basis of gender identity or expression.
The bill, introduced by the federal Liberals, passed second reading in the House of Commons Tuesday by a vote of 248 to 40.
The NDP has previously introduced private member's bills on the issue — most recently by Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke NDP MP Randall Garrison — but they were always defeated for one reason or another.
A similar bill has been in effect in Ontario since 2012, but the federal bill would make sure transgender people have the same rights across the country, instead of the uneven patchwork of provincial bills in place now.
Bolt, the program co-ordinator for TG Innerselves, a Northern Ontario transgender education and support organization, said that in some places in Canada, he's technically obligated to use the female washroom.
That's “even though I have a full beard and haven't been mistaken for female in many, many years,” he said.
The bill would protect trans people's rights when accessing federal services such as airports, or the rights of trans inmates at federal penitentiaries, Bolt said.
He said it would also mean Statistics Canada would collect information on hate crimes against trans people.
Bill C-16 was supported in the second reading by the Liberals, New Democrats, Bloc and Green Party leader Elizabeth May, along with 38 Tory MPs, including interim leader Rona Ambrose.
Three candidates in the race to replace former Prime Minister Stephen Harper as Conservative leader also voted in favour of the bill. Two other leadership hopefuls — Andrew Scheer and Brad Trost — did not.
Trost said he could not support the bill as a social conservative, and said on Twitter that the trans rights bill would endanger children in public washrooms.
Bolt had a few choice words about Trost's reaction.
“When it comes to bathrooms, people who are most vulnerable are trans people,” he said.
“When we go to the bathroom, we are going to do what we need to do and getting out as quickly as possible.
“When you have experienced harassment going into spaces like that, the last thing you want to do is make a scene or be noticeable or spend more time there than you have to.”
Even if the bill passes, Bolt said there's still a lot of work to be done to make sure organizations are adhering to it.
“These rights mean nothing if agencies aren't putting in place policies and procedures or receiving the necessary training to make their spaces accepting of trans people,” he said.
A trans rights bill has been in place in Ontario for four years, and there's still instances of patients being put in the wrong hospital room or students being told they can't use the washroom of their choice, Bolt said.
