One of the comments that was included in the post that the Premier made along with the picture above was, "How we treat each other matters."
It is a sentiment that is hard to argue against. But does it really communicate that the current government is treating any particular group in a way that truly matters? I think not, for the reasons I shall enumerate below.
The addition of the "X" option on provincial ID is being touted as a victory for those who claim that people who identify as LGBTQ2X or whatever fits into that growing acronym. But one truly wonders what victory it represents beyond an opportunity for a photo op with the Premier the day before she danced in the rain in Edmonton at the annual Parade that celebrates those sexual identities. What has this group gained?
I have tried to engage in conversations with those who believe this to be a watershed moment, and their reasoning for claiming a victory of great magnitude leave me befuddled. Firstly, I have been told that I cannot be expected to understand the meaning and power of this new opportunity because my so-called "privilege" being a cis-gendered person makes my perspective on this invalid in any way.
The equivalent argument would be that I cannot understand childbirth - at all - as I have never given birth, so there is no point in my inquiring as to what it is all about. Understanding is, I am told, denied to me in this arena because I am excluded by my own self-identification (the very thing those who are in the group are doing) and thus unwelcome.
For the past two decades, the non-heterosexual community has been hammering the culture in Canada and the USA claiming that their battle is one for human rights, equality and fair treatment. Their primary reason has been that they have been excluded from society, culture and receiving fair treatment. And now, as it seems they may have become accepted by the current political leadership, these same people are more than happy to endorse exclusion towards those whom they deem to be adversarial to them. And to do so without any empirical evidence of such opposition.|
All cis-gendered people must be considered the "privileged opposition" because of who they are -not because of their specific actions.
At the aforementioned parade and rally, several speakers objected to police and military being present and identifying themselves as such. The reasons given were that these people represented professions that had and do allegedly systematically oppress LGBTQ2X people. No evidence, just anecdotal stories were provided. But it seems to be good enough that the possibility of these stories being true is enough to warrant rejection of participation. All from the group that has been campaigning for more inclusion and participation for over twenty years.
And what has this added letter option in their ID garnered for them in actual fact?
Will it make it possible for them to gain access to spaces reserved for adults only? No. Gender is not the basis for that access - age is.
Will it provide better access to commerce wherein identification is required to enter into business deals and contracts? No. Gender has not been an issue in that area in Alberta in my lifetime. Anyone can open an bank account, buy a fishing licence, get a Social Insurance Number, fill out a job application and do any other sort of activity wherein one must have proof of identity without barrier to them because of gender.
Will it impede their access to government services, emergency care or programs if they do not have the ability to place an "X" in a space that almost no one references in those cases? No.
And frankly, gender and sexual orientation shouldn't be a barrier to any reasonable activity with persons and businesses that are amenable to being in such relationships.
The only issue may come when one is seeking to be a part of a religious community for whom their worldview has very particular views regarding human sexuality, marriage and child-rearing. But it seems to me to be wrong for the government to intervene in such situations if we are to ensure freedom of association within the groups we want to belong to.
So why not just take the sex identification box off the ID? You will still be you and I will still be me without it. And what makes it such a big deal that the provincial government would grant this one letter option to a group that uses far more than one letter - or group of letters - to identify themselves? Doesn't entrenching this information in our government documents seem to actually create a culture wherein value judgments will necessarily be made based on that information. Wouldn't it be more inclusive, more welcoming, more demonstrative of seeking equality to simply stop using this data as a means of identifying each other?
Once one looks even a little deeper into this recent announcement, it begins to become clear that the way the government is treating the LGBTQ2X community is as shills for their purported progressivism. The practical reality is that the government will not be called upon to offer any more (or less) support for that community in the future than they do now or have done for their entire time in office. It is symbolic - nothing more. And perhaps it is even more ironic that it is merely symbolic when all the government did was add a symbol to the ID cards.
If the LGBTQ2X community really wants to be integrated into Alberta's culture and society, perhaps it should not be so supportive of such actions, symbolic or not, that make them seem to stand apart. Perhaps they should not be so quick to condemn other groups without evidence or just cause. And perhaps they should not be willing to settle for such cheap political tricks as allowing "X" to mark a spot that really makes no difference in any one's life at all.
Food for thought.
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