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Today is Trans Day of Visibility. It falls this year in the middle of an escalating political assault on trans people across North America.
In the past week alone, Idaho passed the most extreme anti-trans bathroom law in the United States, threatening trans people with felony charges and up to five years in prison for using a public restroom.
The International Olympic Committee announced mandatory genetic testing for all female athletes, a policy that experts say will disproportionately harm cisgender and intersex women.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre endorsed the IOC decision by sharing a post from J.K. Rowling that included a photo of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and referred to her as a man. Khelif was born female.
She met every IOC eligibility standard in 2024. Poilievre endorsed a post that misidentified a biological woman as male, and he did it while claiming to protect women.
Here in British Columbia, every candidate in the BC Conservative leadership race has pledged to repeal SOGI 123, a set of anti-bullying resources for schools.
SOGI is not a curriculum. There is no SOGI class.
It is a collection of tools, developed in partnership with educators and the Ministry of Education, designed to help queer and trans kids feel safe at school.
It was introduced in 2016 under the BC Liberal government (the same centre-right party whose base now forms the backbone of the BC Conservatives promising to repeal it), and Langley was one of the first communities in the province to feel the weight of the backlash.
This fight has always been here
Langley knows this fight up close. The community was one of the earliest flashpoints in BC's battle over SOGI 123, with duelling protests outside school board meetings as far back as 2017.
Parents packed board rooms to argue over whether queer and trans kids deserved to see themselves reflected in their schools.
Through it all, Langley students spoke for themselves.
One trans high school student, asked at a board meeting what they wanted from the community, said simply: "Can't we just be humans and be happy? Why does anything else matter?"
Groups like Langley Parents for Inclusivity rallied in support. The school district held firm.
Today, this year marks the first time BC has officially proclaimed March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility, honouring more than 18,000 transgender, Two-Spirit, and non-binary people living in the province.
For trans people and their families in Langley, the stakes of this debate have never been abstract. They play out in hallways, at school board meetings, and around kitchen tables. That is exactly why the facts matter more than the fear.
What the journey actually looks like
One of the most common misconceptions about gender-affirming care is that it involves rushing children into irreversible medical procedures. The reality is almost nothing like that.
For children who have not yet reached puberty, gender-affirming care is entirely social.
It means letting a child explore their identity in a supportive environment. That might look like trying a new name, using different pronouns, or choosing different clothes.
As registered nurse Robyn Hodgson, who coordinates a transgender youth program in Ontario, has explained: nothing medical is done before signs of puberty. No hormones. No surgery. Just space to figure things out, with support from family and professionals.
For adolescents experiencing sustained gender dysphoria, the next step may involve puberty blockers.
These are reversible medications that pause the onset of puberty, giving young people and their families more time to make decisions without the added distress of their body developing in ways that feel deeply wrong to them.
Puberty blockers have been used safely in pediatric medicine for decades, originally to treat children with precocious puberty. They do not change a young person's body permanently. They press pause.
Gender-affirming hormones, such as estrogen or testosterone, may be introduced for older adolescents.
This step involves ongoing medical supervision, mental health assessment, and informed consent. It is not handed out casually.
In Canada, the process is guided by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health's Standards of Care, which require documented, sustained gender incongruence and a comprehensive assessment before any medical intervention begins.
Surgery is only available to adults. In Canada, all lower body surgeries require patients to be 18 or older.
Most provinces require a formal surgical readiness assessment that evaluates the patient's mental health, support system, and understanding of the procedure. The process involves referrals, wait times that can stretch for years, and layers of clinical oversight.
In other words, the system that actually exists in Canada is cautious, gradual, and governed by medical guidelines at every step.
It looks nothing like the caricature that politicians and pundits have constructed.
What the science says
The mental health stakes of this debate are not abstract. Trans people in Canada face rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidality that far exceed the general population.
An estimated 40% of transgender adults have attempted suicide at some point in their lives. Among trans youth, that figure is closer to 30% in a single year. These are not numbers that any serious person can look at and shrug off.
The evidence on what helps is growing, and it points in a clear direction.
A 2022 study published in JAMA Network Open followed 104 transgender and nonbinary youth over 12 months. Those who received puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones had 60% lower odds of depression and 73% lower odds of suicidality compared to those who did not receive those interventions.
Research from the Williams Institute at UCLA found that trans people who received the gender-affirming care they needed had roughly half the rate of past-year suicide attempts compared to those who needed care but could not access it: 5% versus 9%.
These studies are not perfect. Researchers acknowledge the need for larger sample sizes, longer follow-up periods, and better controls for other mental health factors. But the direction of the evidence is consistent across the majority of published research.
Gender-affirming care is associated with meaningful reductions in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Denying access to that care is associated with worse outcomes.
It is also worth understanding that the distress trans people experience is not caused by being trans.
It is caused by rejection, discrimination, and the constant message that who they are is wrong.
Studies consistently show that family support, community acceptance, and access to appropriate healthcare are among the strongest protective factors against suicide in this population.
Even the presence of a single supportive adult in a trans young person's life can make a significant difference.
That is not a radical claim. That is basic mental healthcare. A person in distress does better when they are supported than when they are punished.
Why this matters for everyone
It is easy to think of trans healthcare as a niche issue that only affects a small number of people. But policies that target trans people rarely stop there.
The IOC's new genetic testing requirement is a case in point.
The policy was framed as a measure to keep trans women out of women's sports. In practice, it will subject thousands of cisgender women to invasive genetic screening.
The scientist who discovered the SRY gene being used for the test, Andrew Sinclair, has publicly opposed its use for this purpose, warning that it is unreliable and that biological sex is far more complex than any single gene.
At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, eight women failed the same type of genetic screening before being reinstated. All of them were cisgender.
Idaho's bathroom law similarly affects far more people than its sponsors intended.
Law enforcement groups in the state opposed the bill, warning that it would force officers into the impossible position of trying to visually determine someone's biological sex.
Tall women, masculine-presenting women, and anyone who does not fit a narrow idea of what a woman "should" look like now risks harassment, confrontation, or arrest for using a public restroom.
When governments build systems to police gender, they do not just police trans people. They police everyone.
And when we build systems that support trans people, we build a healthcare system that is more compassionate, more evidence-based, and more responsive to the actual needs of patients.
We build schools where all kids feel safe. We build communities where people can live openly and contribute fully. That benefits everyone.
Where to find support
If you or someone you know is looking for gender-affirming care in British Columbia, Trans Care BC (Provincial Health Services Authority) provides resources, referral guidance, and information on accessing publicly funded care.
The Community-Based Research Centre maintains a province-by-province guide to gender-affirming care services across Canada. And gender-affirming care is endorsed by the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Psychological Association, and the Canadian Paediatric Society.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, the Trans Lifeline can be reached at 1-877-330-6366. The 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline is available by phone or text at 988.
Today is Trans Day of Visibility. The most powerful thing any of us can do with that visibility is replace fear with facts.
Resources and Further Reading
Public Health Agency of Canada
Sheena Goodyear
Loyal | thisisloyal.com
Ari Berkowitz
Kyle Pfannenstiel
none
Mel Woods
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